A Murder Most Foul
by xMorbidxAngelx
Summary: Sesshomaru's the lone detective, only relying occasionally on his partner Kouga, but when he meets a girl through his nephew's obsession with murder mysteries, how will he help her already dangerous situation?
1. Chapter 1

**Cha****p****ter****1**

"_It was a dark and cold night; the woman could see her breath in clouds before her face as she walked down the icy streets beneath the pale glow of the street lights. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees lining the pavement in the otherwise silent neighbourhood. Every now and then a cat would run across the pavement or a clatter could be heard in the distance as the stray cats raided the garbage cans behind the houses. _

_A welcoming light shone in the distance, drawing the woman towards it. Her steps quickened over the icy surface of the pavement, her breath coming more rapidly from the sudden exertion. Less than a block away from the house, a hand came down heavily on the woman's shoulder stopping any further movement. She turned around, her heart pounding in her chest, only to see two eyes burning into her own through the darkness. Falling to her knees, the darkness seemed to crush her as her blood curdling scream echoed throughout the silent neighbourhood." _

"What happens next?!" an eager albeit sleepy voice demanded half heartedly from the bed.

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out, Taiki."

"Aunt Rin!" the child protested.

Rin laughed quietly and snapped the book shut after placing a marker between the pages she had been reading. She placed the book on the table beside the bed and stood up. Turning around, she looked down at the child who looked up at her with an indignant stare and smiled as she bent forwards to smooth his hair back from his face.

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow," she repeated.

"Who was behind her? You know don't you?" Taiki demanded, his tiredness seemingly forgotten.

Rin shook her head. "I haven't the faintest idea," she admitted before giving him a grin. "Although I wouldn't tell you who it was even if I did know."

"But why?"

"It ruins the storyline, dear."

"But..."

"No buts! You should be asleep now anyway." Rin leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead before moving towards the door. "Good night Taiki," she said with a smile.

"Good night Aunt Rin," the boy responded with a smile of his own.

Rin walked down the corridor to the living room where she had left her friends chatting happily. She sank down into a seat near the door with a sigh and closed her eyes sleepily.

"Rin! You're back!" Kagome exclaimed as she saw her friend sit down. "Is Taiki asleep?"

Nodding, Rin looked across the room at her friend and her husband. "Your son is stubborn Kagome," she said with a mock irritation.

Kagome laughed and nudged Inuyasha who sat beside her. "He gets his stubborn streak from Inuyasha. How did you get him to go to sleep?"

"I read to him." She frowned. "His taste in books is slightly disturbing for a child so young."

"Oh?" Inuyasha queried with a raised eyebrow.

"Apparently he likes murder mysteries. Who's been reading him those?" Rin wondered aloud.

Inuyasha smirked. "Probably Sesshoumaru. He likes those kinds of books."

"Occupational hazard I suppose," Kagome added with a wink. "He's with the police force you know."

Rin nodded. She knew Sesshoumaru Taisho was a member of the police force. She had seen him dressed in his uniform many times when she was younger. He had been promoted since then and no longer wore the uniform which she secretly thought was a shame since it suited him so well. He was now the Detective Chief Inspector and had many men to come to his every beck and call. He was young for a D.C.I, only 25, but he worked hard which was what the older men in the force called a rarity. They approved of his no-nonsense attitude and the way he spoke only when necessary. Usually, from what Inuyasha told her anyway, Sesshoumaru let his assistant ask all the questions.

With a sigh, Rin looked up from her thoughts and glanced at the clock. It was later than she thought. Nearly 11pm! She stood up and stretched luxuriously before smiling at her friends.

"It's late. I should be going now."

Kagome stood up. "You're staying here tonight. It's too late to walk home, even if it is only a short distance."

Rin started to protest but was silenced when Inuyasha stood up and agreed with his wife.

"Kagome's right. You wouldn't want to end up as the victim in a murder mystery would you?" He winked at her as he left for the kitchen.

"I suppose you're right. It wouldn't be much fun walking home in the dark after reading that to Taiki."

"I'll show you to your room. You look tired," Kagome said with a smile.

"I feel it. It's been a long day."

-*-*-*-*-

The next day was bright and the sun was shining down cheerfully, but there was a cold wind that blew the trees outside. Rin shivered as she watched the trees bending in the wind and turned away. With a sigh, she left the room and walked down the stairs to the dining room where she could hear voices laughing.

"Aunt Rin!" a voice shouted happily and a small figure raced across the dining room towards her.

"Good morning Taiki," she said as she looked down at the little boy. "Have you had your breakfast yet?"

"Not yet. Mamma was just making pancakes!" He grinned and dragged her to the table where she sat between him and Inuyasha.

"Morning" Inuyasha said cheerfully as he put down his newspaper.

Rin smiled and reached for the paper he had discarded. "Morning! How's everyone this morning?"

"We're alright. Taiki's been telling us about the story you started reading him last night," Kagome said as she smiled fondly at her son as she came towards the table carrying a large plate of pancakes.

Rin laughed and looked at the boy. "I'm sure your father will make a better story teller." She winked at Inuyasha before starting on her pancakes. "What are you doing today then, Taiki?"

"Mamma said that we can go have a picnic in the park," the silver haired boy said through a mouthful of pancakes coated in syrup. "Will you come with us?"

"Taiki! Aunt Rin has her own life to lead, you know," Kagome said with a frown.

"I want her to read the rest of the story to me!"

"Taiki," she interrupted the argument before it went too far. "Your father can read the story to you. You should spend time with both your parents."

"But I want you to read the story to me!" he protested and looked up at her with the puppy eyes that she could never resist.

Inuyasha grinned. "Looks like you have no choice now, eh?"

Rin frowned slightly at the little boy and sighed in defeat. "Alright. I'll read the story to you Taiki."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's****Note****:** I don't normally write anything at the beginning of stories, although I probably should. The title and most of the story was inspired by Corpse Bride. Thank you to **CelestialDragon423** and **deduction** for their reviews on the first chapter. It's much appreciated 

**Cha****p****ter****2**

Rin sat on a blanket beneath a tree in the park and watched as Inuyasha and Taiki ran around. Kagome sat down beside her and smiled as she watched her husband and son playing happily.

"You're very lucky, Kagome," Rin said quietly as a smile crossed her face. Kagome looked at her friend and said nothing. "Your son is a real character."

Kagome laughed. "He takes after his father in so many ways. Not all of them are good though." She sighed. "I fear his stubborn streak may prove a problem when he's older."

"You just have to bring him up right," Rin said with a wink.

Kagome smiled. "You'll realise that that's not as easy as it sounds when you have kids."

"Perhaps," Rin shrugged.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you for a favour."

"Oh?"

"It's short notice, I know, but Inuyasha and I have been invited out tonight."

"You want me to look after Taiki?"

"Well, for a couple of hours. Sesshoumaru finishes work at 7 and he'll arrive to relieve you at about 8."

Rin nodded. "Okay. He gets the easiest part. Taiki will probably be asleep when he gets there!"

"He should be asleep, but knowing him, he won't be," Kagome said with a laugh.

-*-*-*-*-*-

"See you later, Rin," Inuyasha said with a grin as he walked towards the door.

"Thank you so much for doing this on such short notice," Kagome thanked her friend again.

Rin smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. I always have time to babysit Taiki."

"We might see you later then."

"Perhaps. Have fun." Rin and Taiki waved as the car disappeared down the street.

Rin sat down beside Taiki and picked up a book and read quietly while he watched a film. When the film was over, they had their dinner and she listened patiently to his description of the film. She smiled to herself as she listened.

"Time for bed, Taiki," she said as she cleared away the plates and put them in the dish washer.

"Will you read the story to me?" he asked eagerly.

Rin laughed. "You've been asking me all day. I will read it to you. Go get yourself ready for bed while I finish clearing up. I'll be up soon."

The little boy ran out the room and thundered up the stairs leaving Rin in the kitchen. She shook her head and smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. Looking up at the clock, she saw that it was 7.30. Kagome would be proud. Her son was in bed on time. Rin wandered into the living room and put all Taiki's toys away in the boxes behind the door and put the cushions on the chairs back in order.

She had just picked up the book she was going to read to Taiki when she heard the front door open. Frowning she went to see who was there. A tall figure stepped into the house and shut the door quietly. Rin sighed in relief as she remembered that Sesshoumaru had finished work. He turned around and saw her standing in the doorway.

"Are you Rin?" he asked in a deep, expressionless voice.

"I am."

"Where's Taiki?"

"He should be in bed. Or making his way there."

"Aunt Rin! Hurry up!" Taiki yelled from upstairs.

Rin smiled slightly and went into the living room to retrieve the book she had been reading to him. "Do you want to read to him?" she asked the tall man behind her.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "What have you been reading to him?"

"It's a murder mystery, he seems to like them," she said as she moved toward the stairs with Sesshoumaru following behind her. "I'll say goodnight and leave the two of you."

Rin opened the door to Taiki's room and looked in to find the little boy sitting impatiently in his bed. He smiled as he saw her at the door and moved over on his bed to make room for her to sit beside him. As she came into the room, she switched off the main light in favour of the bedside lamp.

"I've come to say goodnight, Taiki," she said quietly as she bent down to secure his blankets around him.

The smile fell from his face. "I'm not getting a story tonight?"

"You are, but someone else is going to read to you," she said and sat beside him.

"Who?" the boy demanded with a frown.

"Your uncle is."

"Uncle Sesshoumaru?" the boy asked with a broad smile.

Rin nodded and motioned to the door where Sesshoumaru stood silently watching the scene unfold.

"Hello Taiki."

"You're going to read to me, uncle Sesshoumaru?"

The tall man nodded but said nothing.

"I'm going home now, Taiki," Rin said as she stood up. "Be a good boy for your uncle okay?" She bent down and kissed his forehead and stepped away. Turning to look at Sesshoumaru, she held out the book. "This is what we've been reading and I've left a marker where we left off."

"Thanks."

"I'll be going then. Goodnight!"

Rin left the room after waving briefly at Taiki who was grinning at his uncle. Sesshoumaru stood in the doorway and watched as Rin left. He knew that he should've walked her to the door and then thanked her for looking after Taiki until he got there, but she was already gone.

With a slight shrug, he sat down on Taiki's bed and opened the book to find a small marker between the pages of the end of chapter 3 and the beginning of chapter 4. He picked up the marker and looked at it carefully. It was a plain piece of card with a small dragon drawn onto it.

"Aunt Rin made that for me," Taiki said, breaking Sesshoumaru's careful scrutiny of the card.

"Did she?"

The boy nodded. "She makes lots of things for me. She's fun!"

Sesshoumaru nodded and set the marker aside as he looked down the page and began to read.


	3. Chapter 3

**Cha****p****ter****3**

"You seem distracted, Sesh," Kouga said to his friend as they sat in a restaurant a week later.

Sesshoumaru shook his head, Kouga was probably the only person who could get away with calling him that. "I was just thinking."

"About...?"

"We haven't had a decent case in months," he said with a frown.

Kouga nodded. "It's getting tedious isn't it? I wish something interesting would happen. By the way, how did the babysitting go?"

"That was a week ago, Kouga."

"I know when it was, Sesh. I just forgot to ask earlier."

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "It was fine. Taiki was in bed when I got there and I just read to him and he went to sleep."

"In bed? What time did his parents leave? 8 is a bit late to go out isn't it?"

"A girl called Rin, looked after him until I got there."

Kouga's eyes widened at the mention of a girl. "Was she nice?"

"I suppose so."

"What did she look like?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his partner before thinking over his question. "Medium height, slim, long dark hair, dark eyes."

Kouga laughed. "You sound like you're describing a criminal, Sesh." Sesshoumaru shrugged and finished his coffee. "She sounds pretty," Kouga said after a pause with a dreamy look on his face.

"Stop that. You look like a lovesick puppy," Sesshoumaru said irritably.

-*-*-*-*-*-

About a week after Sesshoumaru and Kouga's conversation took place, something interesting did happen. Sesshoumaru and Kouga were called out to a house near Kagome and Inuyasha's. The whole street was blocked off and residents stood on the pavement, watching the police wandering around, with confused expressions. With a sigh, Sesshoumaru got out of the car and pulled on his suit jacket as he and Kouga walked towards the nearest policeman.

"What happened?" Kouga asked as he looked around. No matter how many times he'd been to the scene of a crime, he still felt uneasy.

"A murder, sir," the man said shortly, handing a folder over to Sesshoumaru who examined it carefully.

Kouga grimaced. He hated murders! "Where's the victim?"

"In the house," the man gestured to a house opposite them. "The forensics team is in there now."

Kouga braced himself and followed Sesshoumaru into the house. The house was fairly new, or it had been redecorated recently, he couldn't tell which. It was tastefully furnished and nothing seemed to be out of place. They walked up the stairs and came to a stop on the landing where a team of forensic experts stood. One man noticed Sesshoumaru and Kouga and walked towards them.

"It's been a while since we've had a murder," he said by way of greeting.

"It's been a while since we last saw you Miroku," Kouga said with a nod.

Sesshoumaru nodded at the man. "Where's the body?"

"Over there," he said and pointed down the corridor to their right.

Kouga and Sesshoumaru followed his pointed finger and saw a covered figure on the floor. They walked towards it, carefully avoiding the objects strewn across the floor. Miroku followed them and stepped over the body and pulled back the material to reveal a bloody mess. Kouga swallowed hard and looked away.

"Multiple stab wounds to the chest area," Miroku said as he looked down distastefully at the body. "There are bruises on the wrists and neck as well."

"Time of death?" Sesshoumaru asked as he scribbled down what Miroku said into a notebook he always carried.

Miroku scratched his head thoughtfully and looked down at the body again. "About three or four hours ago I'd say. We're taking it back to do an autopsy, so I should be able to give you better information sometime in the next couple of days."

Sesshoumaru nodded and turned around to go back downstairs with Kouga in tow.

Kouga looked back up the stairs briefly when he got to the bottom and grimaced again. He walked over to one of the officers he knew and clapped him on the back by way of greeting. "Any information for us, Hiten?"

The man turned and nodded at Sesshoumaru before speaking. "The victim was a 30 year old woman by the name of Ami Sasaki. She lived here alone. None of the residents claim she had any family, although we'll have to look into that."

Sesshoumaru scribbled that down quickly and Kouga nodded. "Anything else?"

"She was close to one of the residents who lives two doors down. We haven't been able to contact her yet though."

"What was her name?"

"We asked the neighbours but they didn't know her very well. The name on her mail box says Yoshida though."

Kouga groaned. "There has to be hundreds of Yoshidas in this city!"

With a sigh, Kouga thanked his friend and turned to walk back outside. Sesshoumaru followed him, still scribbling in his notebook. Most of the residents had returned to their homes while a few stood on the pavement watching. Sesshoumaru started walking down the street and stopped in front of a mail box with the name Yoshida written neatly across it.

"Do you think she came home while we were inside?" Kouga asked.  
"It's possible. Let's find out."

Sesshoumaru walked towards the door and knocked loudly. He waited before knocking again. Still no one answered his knocks. He frowned and leaned forward to peer through the glass in the door, trying to see if there was any movement on the other side.

Kouga sighed irritably. "We'll just have to come back tomorrow, Sesh."

They walked back towards their car and watched as Miroku and his team put the body into the back of a van and drove off. They waited for their fellow officers to finish clearing up and then followed them as they drove back to the station.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rin yawned and stretched lazily in bed as she looked out her window. The morning was cloudy and there was a slight mist hanging in the air, much like the night before. She frowned as she thought back to the eerie atmosphere that she had felt when returning home late last night. It was strange how mist could make one's imagination run while, especially after reading murder stories to a little boy.

With a sigh, she got up and disappeared into the bathroom to get ready to face a new day. She emerged about half an hour later, brushing the wet hair that cascaded down over one shoulder. There was nothing pressing for her to do today and Rin decided that she could put off getting dressed for a while longer. After all, her bath robe was much more comfortable. Securing the short robe around her, she went to make herself some coffee. On her way, she opened her front door and collected her mail before heading to the kitchen. As usual, she dropped the unread newspaper on the counter above the bin as she settled into her normal routine.

Rin had been sitting at her kitchen table for about half an hour when a knock at her door had her looking up from her large collection of unread mail. It was only 9am, far too early to be entertaining visitors. Not pleased, she stood up and after making sure her robe was still secure, she made her way to the door. Pulling it open, she was about to launch into a tirade about disturbing people so early in the morning, but was stopped when she came face to face with someone's chest. Rin was not the tallest of people by any stretch of the imagination, but she had never considered herself so short that she would be conversing with someone's chest. For a moment, she stared at the unknown person's suit clad chest, briefly lapsing into childish thoughts as she debated whether this man was simply a giant or she was shrinking.

A cough disrupted her train of thought and she looked up to see that said giant was actually a rather handsome dark haired man with a somewhat apologetic expression. Despite his good looks, Rin was still not happy. Not only had this man interrupted her very early in the morning, but she suspected that she now had the beginnings of an inferiority complex due to his height. All things combined, this morning was not turning out as well as she had hoped and the usually sunny smile that graced her face was replaced by a look so venomous it could surely fell the man where he stood if, as the saying goes, looks could kill.

"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked, her normally calm and polite tone taking an icy edge.

"Uh, Ms. Yoshida?" the man asked uncertainly, slightly taken aback by her tone.

"Yes?"

"I'm Detective Sergeant Miyagi. Kouga Miyagi."

"How nice for you," she said bitterly, still mourning her disrupted day, knowing this interruption would put her in a sour mood for the majority of the day.

"I apologise for the early visit. I hope we weren't interrupting anything?" he asked as his eyes travelled from her short robe to her now dry, but tousled hair.

"No," she said shortly, valiantly ignoring the blush fighting its way across her pale cheeks. "Is there something I can do for you, Detective Sergeant?"

"Would it be possible for my partner and I to ask you some questions regarding an incident that occurred yesterday?"

Rin raised her eyebrow sceptically. "Your partner?"

Kouga stepped aside to reveal an equally tall man standing on the steps behind him. "This is my superior and partner, Detective Chief Inspector Sesshoumaru Taisho."

Said man raised his gaze from the notebook in his hand to look at her and as he did so, his eyes widened imperceptibly as he nodded a greeting. Rin's jaw almost dropped at the sight of Inuyasha's brother standing on her doorstep. With a grimace, she stepped back and allowed them inside, gesturing towards the kitchen. She followed them slowly, lamenting the loss of her morning and cursing both men for giving her an inferiority complex. Today was not worth getting out of bed for.

"Can I offer you some coffee?" she asked as she gestured for them to sit at the kitchen table.

Both men nodded and waited patiently while she moved around the room picking up mugs and preparing the drink. Within minutes, she turned to the table and set down to mugs of steaming dark liquid in front of both of them, secretly hoping that neither of them took their coffee black without sugar. Unfortunately, they merely nodded their thanks and made no comment on their coffee preference. Sighing dejectedly, she slipped back into her seat opposite them, pushing her mail to one side before wrapping her fingers around her still steaming mug of coffee.

"What is this about then, gentlemen?" she asked, her tone once again cold. "What is so important that you could not call at a more sociable hour?"

Sesshoumaru smirked inwardly. Evidently the kind, quiet woman her had met two weeks ago was not a morning person. "We have been questioning everyone in the street."

"That does not answer my question," Rin said crisply, turning her attention to him and giving him a look that would have sent a lesser man running.

"As I said earlier, an incident occurred yesterday and we were unable to question you as we could not locate you," Kouga said, desperately trying to hide his amusement as he pulled out a pen and notebook from his pocket.

"What incident?"

"Ami Sasaki was found dead in her home yesterday," he said with the kind of detachment only a man who dealt regularly with such things could manage.

Rin paled. "Ami's dead?"

"Yes ma'am. She was murdered and we would like to ask you some questions about her."

Her eyes searched the Detectives' faces with the small hope that this was an elaborate and distasteful joke someone was trying to play on her. After finding nothing to confirm her somewhat naïve hope, she sighed and lifted her coffee mug to her lips with slightly trembling hands. The thought of a murder happening in her very own street and to someone she knew made her blood run cold. She shook her head and silently decided that Sesshoumaru could have the sole responsibility of reading stories like that to Taiki.

"We believe you were acquainted with Ms. Sasaki, were you not?" Kouga asked after giving her a moment to compose herself.

"Yes."

"How long have you known her?"

"Since I moved here."

"When was that?"

"About 5 months ago."

"The neighbours say that you were fairly close friends."

"A bit of an exaggeration I think."

Kouga raised his eyebrows at this. "You were not close friends?"

"I spoke to her more than any of the other neighbours, but I probably know the two of you better than I know her," she said calmly as she took another sip of coffee.

"Meaning you know nothing about her?" Kouga asked, confused by the conflicting stories.

"In layman's terms, yes."

There was silence for a moment as Kouga scribbled this down in his notebook. Rin watched him writing with an almost inhuman calmness about her considering what she had just heard. Sesshoumaru observed the scene silently and shrugged off her calm as her way of dealing with the news or perhaps it simply didn't affect her as much as they had thought it would. After all, if she wasn't close to the woman, there was no need for her to be badly affected by the news.

Sesshoumaru continued to watch her as Kouga resumed his questioning moments later. She seemed very different from when he had met her at Inuyasha's. However, it wasn't 9am when he saw her last. Her long dark hair was tousled and hung over one shoulder and his eyes moved to her attire. The robe clung to her frame, but the bulky nature of the fabric made it impossible to determine her body shape. It did however reveal slender arms beneath the sleeves and the front revealed a hint of cleavage. She was looking at her coffee with a thoughtful expression and Sesshoumaru noticed that her brown eyes were framed by the thickest eyelashes he had ever seen.

He was brought back to reality when he noticed Kouga putting his notebook back into his pocket, indicating that the interview was over. Simultaneously, the two detectives rose to their feet and pushed their chairs under the table as Rin stood also. She followed them back to the front door and stood beside it as they stepped outside. Suddenly, she remembered that she had accidentally brought Taiki's book home with her the night before and decided that Sesshoumaru would be more likely to see the child than she was. She excused herself briefly to fetch the book and returned moments later to the two tall men standing on her doorstep.

"Thank you for helping us," Kouga said politely and gave her a wolfish smile.

She nodded. "I'm sorry I wasn't much help," she said, feeling slightly guilty for the way she had spoken to them earlier.

"Not to worry, we'll find her murderer," Kouga said reassuringly.

The pair turned to walk away but were surprised when Rin called out to Sesshoumaru. They were halfway down the steps and she walked towards them, noting that she was almost level with their shoulders when they stood a few steps below her. She handed the book to Sesshoumaru and gave them a slight smile before disappearing back into the house.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

An hour later, Kouga and Sesshoumaru sat in their office at the station going over what they had so far. Reaching a dead end, they decided to take a break. Sesshoumaru went through his notebook again while Kouga stretched and propped his legs up on his desk. His eyes caught the sight of the book Rin had given Sesshoumaru and he smirked at the name.

"Is she trying to hint that we don't know how to do our job?" he asked gesturing to the book.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "It's Taiki's book."

"Your nephew?"

"Yes."

"How does she know him?" Kouga asked before a piece of information he had almost forgotten sunk into his mind. "She's the Rin who looks after your nephew?!"

"I thought that much was obvious?" Sesshoumaru said and lifted his head to look at his partner.

"She really is pretty."

"Leave her be. If anything happens to her, Kagome will have my head."

With a laugh, Kouga sat back in his chair and watched his friend go back to his work before reaching over and picking up the book and flipping open the cover. His eyes lazily travelled across the first page he opened and widened as he looked up at Sesshoumaru.

"How old is this kid?" he asked, his eyes going back to the text.

"5."

"You read this to a 5 year old?!" Kouga demanded, staring at his friend in disbelief.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "He likes it."

"Rin reads this to him too?"

"Apparently so."

Kouga shook his head and closed the book with a snap. Shaking his head, he put the book back on the desk and picked up the notes from that morning. As he flicked through them, he remembered Rin's reaction to them that morning and smiled.

"Do you reckon she was with someone this morning?" he asked with a grin.

"What?" Sesshoumaru looked up with a frown.

"You heard me."

"I don't think that's any of our business."

"You can't tell me it didn't cross your mind this morning," Kouga persisted as his grin grew.

Sesshoumaru remained silent and looked back down at his work, refusing to admit that that very thought had crossed his mind, albeit briefly. Her short robe looked hastily thrown on and her tousled hair did nothing to discourage thoughts of a lover possibly hiding in the bedroom. The somewhat bad tempered side of her that she had shown also did nothing to discourage such thoughts. Sighing to himself, he found himself wondering what had been happening before they arrived.

"If you weren't thinking about it then, you are now," came his friend's voice with ill disguised laughter.

"No," Sesshoumaru said, attempting to banish the thoughts. "It is inappropriate."

"It might be, but you can't help yourself," Kouga chuckled as he watched his friend struggle with the desire to pursue the thoughts and the desire to stick to the code of etiquette.

With a growl of frustration, Sesshoumaru placed his notebook firmly in his pocket and returned to scrutinising what little information they had. It was obvious that Kouga was determined to embarrass him and it was just as obvious that Kouga had no interest in this case aside from the fact that Rin was now involved. Sesshoumaru sighed again as he realised that he was in serious trouble when Kagome found out about Kouga's blatant interest in her best friend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was nearly two weeks later when Sesshoumaru next saw Rin. On a rare occasion, his hectic work schedule permitted him to luxury of spending a day with his family and since he had no wife or child of his own, he took the opportunity to spoil his nephew. Much to his surprise, Rin had also chosen this day to visit the child and he later found out that she had in fact spent the night at Inuyasha and Kagome's. They had spoken little throughout the day, mostly because he was at a loss for what to say to her, not that he spoke that much to begin with. Fortunately, she seemed to understand.

The day passed quickly and eventually, Sesshoumaru found himself standing on his brother's doorstep beside Rin, waving goodbye to a tearful Taiki. As the door closed, he heard her sigh and turned to look at her questioningly. She merely shrugged, giving him a small smile before walking away from him, down the driveway towards the street. Realising that she had no car, he called her name.

"Yes?" she said, turning to look at him, surprise evident on her face.

"Uh," he paused, for once lost for words. "Would you like to get some coffee?"

Rin stared at him as he stood beside his car. Part of her wanted to laugh at how ridiculous it was hearing him sound nervous about asking her that and part of her questioned his motives. She watched him frown and look away and smiled gently as she nodded.

"That would be nice."

Nodding dumbly, Sesshoumaru held open the passenger door for her and cursed softly as he made his way round to his own seat. He had not meant to ask her that. All he had intended to ask was if she wanted a lift home, but now he found himself having coffee with her, not that he minded of course. Throughout the course of the day, he had found himself intrigued by her, but he was still not happy about what was currently happening.

Within minutes, they arrived at a pretty restaurant with a view of the pond in the park and were soon seated at an outside table. Rin looked around and noticed that the other tables were occupied by couples enjoying a romantic evening. She giggled, causing Sesshoumaru to give her a questioning look.

"We seem to be the only people here who are not a couple," she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement in the fading light.

Sesshoumaru nodded and said nothing, leaving her to her thoughts as she gazed across the park. He had to admit that she was pretty and he found his mind drawn back to the day he and Kouga had visited her at home. Now, a slight frown creased his brow as he wondered if she did indeed have a lover who had been waiting for her return to bed that morning.

"Do you have a family of your own?" she asked suddenly, looking him in the eyes as she sipped her coffee.

"No," he said in his deep voice. "Do you?"

She shook her head. "No, but I've always wanted one."

After some time, Sesshoumaru placed some money down on the table and rose to his feet. Rin stood beside him and dug through her bag for her purse to give him money for her drink. He stared at her for a moment as she fumbled and then put his hand over hers, causing her to cease looking and look up at him.

"My treat," he said quietly.

"I'll have to return the favour someday," she said with a smile and followed him out to the car.

The journey back to her home was quiet and both of them were content with the silence. When the arrived, Rin gracefully stepped out of the car and headed for her door, Sesshoumaru stopping behind her.

"Thank you for bringing me home and for the coffee," she smiled prettily.

"You're welcome," he said, transfixed by her smile. "Goodnight."

With that, he turned on his heel and headed straight back to his car. Rin watched on with a smile and waved briefly as the car disappeared before going inside.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Sesshoumaru sighed and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He cursed his uncooperative self for asking Rin to have coffee with him. It had only been yesterday, but he was struggling to get thoughts of her and her smile out of his head. He needed something to do and since this case wasn't helping any, he got to his feet and walked over to a nearby filing cabinet and pulled out the first file his fingers touched, desperately praying that this would take his mind off Rin.

Sighing again, he dropped the file down on his desk and sat down heavily. He was very grateful that Kouga had yet to arrive as he didn't feel like dealing with his teasing this early in the morning. However, his luck didn't last. Less than a quarter of an hour later, the door crashed open and Kouga came through, a somewhat irritable expression on his normally cheerful face. Sesshoumaru merely looked at him silently, patiently waiting for him to explain the cause of his ill temper.

"Put the file away, Sesh," he said in a gruff voice as he picked up a notebook and pen from his desk. "We've got somewhere to be."

"And where would that be?"

"Another murder scene," Kouga replied, his face paling as he said it.

Within minutes the pair were at the crime scene and were stunned to find that it was the same street where Ami Sasaki had been killed. In fact, it was almost directly across the street from her house. Sesshoumaru sighed once more, rubbing his eyes as he leaned against the car in front of the house.

"Someone clearly has it in for the people on this street," Kouga muttered darkly as he glared up at the house.

"So it seems." Sesshoumaru looked around and noticed the crowds of curious neighbours beginning to gather. "Let's get this over with."

Nodding, Kouga followed his partner up the steps to the house. Reluctantly he stepped through the door and looked around, expecting blood and a mutilated body to be the first thing he saw. But he was mistaken. Once again, the lower level of the house was spotless, no signs of a struggle. Heaving a long suffering sigh, he followed Sesshoumaru upstairs and looked around for Miroku.

"I hope seeing you isn't going to become a regular occurrence," Kouga muttered when he located his friend.

Miroku raised his eyebrows in amusement, knowing of his friend's discomfort. "I'll ignore that," he said with a vague smile.

"What's the situation here?" Sesshoumaru asked, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"Well," Miroku looked down the corridor to a bedroom where several people were congregated. "She didn't meet a pretty end; you may want to give this one a miss, Kouga."

Kouga stared at him for a moment and frowned. "I can't give this one a miss. I need to know what we're dealing with."

"I warned you," Miroku said with a shrug and led them into the room.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly as he looked around the room. It was clearly the main bedroom. A woman's body lay across the bed, her eyes open and staring lifelessly up at him. Beside him, he felt Kouga move uncomfortably and looked down to follow his line of sight.

"What's that?" he asked Miroku, pointing at the floor leading from the bedroom to the bathroom.

"Blood," Miroku grimaced. "She was either killed in the bathroom and then dragged in here, or injured badly and died here."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru looked at Kouga who had become rather pale and smirked inwardly at his friend's poor choice of career. Turning his mind back to work, He stepped closer and knelt down for a better look. A trail of blood stained the beige carpet from the bathroom door all the way to the bed where it had stained the cream covers of the bed on which she lay. Rising to his feet, he carefully stepped over the trail and towards the bathroom where his eyes widened again. Bottles lay scattered over the floor and he noted that what little water remained in the bath was slightly pink. Looking closer he saw a red stain on the white floor in the corner just behind the door. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he realised that whoever had killed the woman had tried to cover the rather large puddle of blood in the corner by placing the washing basket over it.

"Cause of death?" he called from the bathroom as he continued to look around.

"Same as the last one, only this one had her throat cut too," Miroku replied, looking at the corpse with a frown.

Kouga looked up when Sesshoumaru returned to the room and was suddenly wishing he didn't not decide that this was the ideal career path. Sighing, he led the way out of the room to where he heard the shouts from several officers.

"What's the problem?" he asked one man with a frown.

"We found something, sir," he replied and handed a clear plastic bag to his friend who was kneeling on the floor in the corridor.

"What is it?"

"A weapon, sir."

Gingerly, Kouga took the bag from the man and handed it to Miroku. Judging by the blood that coated the knife, it was obvious that that was the murder weapon. That was one problem solved, but not they were faced with the seemingly impossible task of trying to find out who the killer was.

"I suppose we'll have to question everyone again," Kouga said with a sigh as he followed Sesshoumaru out to the car.

"Indeed."

"When do we start?"

"Now is as good a time as any."

Kouga frowned and headed for the nearest crowd of people and began questioning while Sesshoumaru took notes. After about half an hour, they excused themselves and Kouga frowned with disapproval.

"That helped a lot," he muttered as he looked through the notes that he had taken.

"Some help is better than none," Sesshoumaru murmured as he looked around to see if there was anyone they had not questioned.

"But they all had contradicting stories! How are we supposed to know what happened if they don't?"

Just as Sesshoumaru was about to reply, they noticed a door open nearby and turned to look at who they had not questioned. Standing in the open doorway, clutching her mail to her chest, was Rin. She was dressed in a knee length black skirt and long sleeved red shirt, her long dark hair tied back. Kouga's mood seemed to brighten immediately when he recognised her and Sesshoumaru just sighed. After a brief conversation with one of the officers, Kouga led the way over to where she stood watching the scene before her with wide eyes.

"Morning, ma'am," Kouga said politely as they approached. Rin's eyes met his and she nodded a greeting. "Sorry to bother you again, but could we ask you some questions?"

"Uh, of course," he murmured, finally getting her voice back.

She led them into the kitchen once again where she dropped her mail on the table and immediately set about making coffee, not bothering to ask if they wanted any. After a few minutes, she placed the mugs in front of them and sat down heavily with a sigh.

"What happened this time?" she asked in a timid voice.

"Another murder," Sesshoumaru said quietly.

"I should've guessed. Who was it?"

"Hiroko Nakamura," Kouga said as he pulled out his notebook again.

Rin's eyes widened. "I see."

"Did you know her?"

"No. I've never spoken to her."

"Did you notice anyone suspicious around the street last night?"

"Not really, I didn't see anyone when I got home."

"Okay, thank you for your help," Kouga said and put his pen and notebook away.

"I'm sorry I can't be much help," Rin said apologetically.

"It's alright," Kouga reassured her. "It's just a tough case. We've not got much to go on."

The two men got to their feet and made their way to the door with Rin following behind, lost in her thoughts. When they reached the door, she stepped outside with them and smiled at them.

"I hope I don't see you two again. At least not under these circumstances," she said with a crooked smile.

"With any luck, we won't be troubling you for any more questions," Kouga replied with a grin.

Sesshoumaru sighed as they walked away from the petite woman towards their car. Once inside, he turned to look at his friend and frowned slightly.

"You shouldn't be flirting with her."

"I wasn't," Kouga protested, trying to keep a straight face.

"What would Ayame say?"

At that, Kouga stiffened and looked at his friend. "Don't tell her about this."

"I won't, but someone else might. She is a police officer as well."

Kouga sighed. "You're right."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Rin did not see Sesshoumaru again for several weeks, but she didn't expect that she would. Hoping that she might see him at the crime scene again turned out to be as useless as hoping he might decide to drop by and see Taiki on a day when she was around. Although she didn't know him well, she found herself curious about him. He plagued her thoughts and occasionally, her dreams as well. She did not want to be just another woman in his fan club. She did not want to be just another woman who thought Sesshoumaru Taisho was exceptionally good looking. Unfortunately for her, unless he took a liking to her, that's all she would ever be. As things stood, he barely acknowledged her presence so hoping he might take a liking to her was perhaps a fool's hope.

Frowning, she brought her hand down on hard on the table in front of her in frustration. She had briefly caught sight of him one day at the crime scene before everything was moved away and since then she had seen nothing of him. Heaving a sigh, she got to her feet and prepared to leave for work. Stepping out the door, she made her way down the street and paused to look at the two houses where her neighbours had been killed. She shook her head sadly and continued on her way.

It was several hours later when the sun had set that she returned to the street. She was very conscious of the eerie silence of the street and hurried to her door. In her hurry, she failed to notice the figure sitting the shadows beside what was Ami Sasaki's home.

With a sigh of relief, she sank down into a chair in her living room, kicking off her shoes as she did so. It was funny how just being in your own home made you feel so safe. Rin got to her feet and put some music on as she disappeared to her bedroom to change, returning moments later in a pair of sleeping shorts and a t-shirt. After going to the kitchen, she sat down on the sofa, curling her feet up under her and placing her mug of coffee on the table beside her.

Rin spent many evenings sitting quietly in her living room with only background music and a book to occupy her. It had become the norm since moving to the city. Briefly, she put her book down to pull a blanket up over her legs to fend off the winter chill. Just as she picked up her book, the phone of the table beside her rang loudly, echoing throughout the house. She looked at it for a moment, wondering if it was anyone important.

"Hello?" she answered it, placing it between her shoulder and chin as she placed a book mark between the pages of her book. "Hello?" she asked again, beginning to get impatient.

There was silence for several more seconds before the line went dead and ring was left staring at the receiver in confusion. She shrugged it off as a bad connection and replaced it in its cradle, returning to her book. After half an hour, the phone rang again and she looked at it as she debated whether to answer it or not.

"Hello?" she spoke slightly louder this time in case the connection was bad again. There was silence for a few seconds before she heard the sound of movement on the other end. "Hello?"

Once more, the line went dead after a few more seconds' silence. Now slightly unnerved, Rin wondered whether she should just leave it to ring next time. That said, the sounds of movement on the other end indicated that there was definitely someone there. Maybe it was Taiki and he got distracted, forgetting he had dialled her number? She smiled at that. It seemed like exactly the sort of thing the boy would do. Eased by the thought that it was probably the child, she settled back into reading her book, waiting for it to ring again so she could speak to the child.

"Hello?" she answered cheerfully when it rang for the third time an hour later. Once again, she heard the sounds of movement and smiled slightly at the thought of Taiki playing with his toys. Then she heard the sound of breathing and her smile faltered, it was far too heavy to be the child's breathing. "Hello? Is someone there?"

The sound of movement and breathing continued and this time, the call did not last just a few seconds. The silence continued for what seemed like hours. Rin sighed softly and decided to try once more to find out who the caller was.

"Is someone there?" she repeated.

There was no response and she began to lose hope of finding out who her mystery caller was. After trying again to get a response, she was about to put the phone down when the sounds of movement stopped and the breathing seemed to get louder. Curious, Rin listened intently to see if she would get a response.

"We are watching you," a gruff male voice said in a low voice.

Rin's smile fell from her face and she paled. "W-Who's this?" she demanded. "What do you want with me?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

The line went dead and she stared at the receiver in shock. Her hands began to tremble and the phone fell from her fingers as she scrambled to get away from it. Heart beating frantically, she leaned against the wall and sank down to the floor when her legs would no longer support her. Breathing erratically, she looked around with wide, frightened eyes to see if anything was out of place or anyone looking in. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she tried to calm herself and failed. She could not stay here or she may turn out to be the next victim, but if she left, she had just as much of a chance of being caught outside as inside. Lifting a trembling hand, Rin pushed her hair away from her face as she stumbled to her feet. Sitting heavily on the sofa, she reached for the phone and dialled the first number that came to mind.

"Hello?" A masculine voice came across the line.

"I-Inuyasha?"

"Is that you, Rin?" he asked, his voice showing his confusion.

"H-Help me," she whispered.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, his voice taking on an urgent tone.

"I-I can't stay here. I need to get away."

"Stay there," he told her. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

Rin sat on her sofa still trembling as she held the receiver in her hand. Looking around fearfully, her mind wandered over all the things that could happen to her in ten minutes. Her eyes widened and she curled up on the sofa, tears falling slowly from her eyes as she prayed Inuyasha would be there soon.

As promised, Inuyasha arrived as soon as he could and ran up the steps to the door, trying to push it open only to find it locked. Growling with frustration, he hammered the door with his fist, calling her name as he did so. After a short while, the door opened a crack to reveal Rin's tear stained face. Recognising him, the opened the door and stepped back to let him inside.

"What's the matter?" he asked urgently, taking her shoulders in his hands as he saw fresh tears falling from her eyes.

"They're watching me," she whispered.

"Who are?"

"I don't know.

"How do you know?"

"The phone," she looked at it fearfully. "They told me."

"Have you told the police?" She shook her head. "I'll call them, you sit down. You're alright now."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

There were times when Sesshoumaru hated his job. It did not happen often, but this was definitely one of those times. Rolling over in bed with a groan, he switched the light on and answered his phone.

"What?" he growled impatiently.

"U-Uh, there may be a new lead in the case you're working on, sir," a timid feminine voice told him.

"Why tell me this at 1am?!"

"We have only just heard of it. Detective Miyagi is waiting for you at the station."

Without another word, Sesshoumaru put the phone down and rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. He was very tempted to just go back to sleep, but if Kouga was up then it had to be important. With a sigh, he got up and dressed quickly before making his way out to his car.

When he arrived at the station, he walked in and headed straight for the office he shared with Kouga. There, he found his friend leaning against the window frame with a cup of coffee held tight in his hand. Like himself, Kouga was hastily dressed, his shirt untucked and only half buttoned. Slamming the door open, he walked in with a murderous look on his face.

"What's this about?" he demanded in a dangerously low voice.

"Apparently something happened on that street again," Kouga replied, his voice gruff from sleep.

"If someone's not dead then why do we have to go?"

Kouga shrugged. "Who knows? It better be good anyway."

With that, he crushed the empty polystyrene cup in his hand and deposited it in the bin on the way out to the car. Soon they were pulling up into the street where they seemed to be spending so much time as of late. A police car was pulled up in front of a house midway down the street and they made their way over to it.

"I wish these houses didn't all look the same," Kouga complained gruffly as they walked. "Makes it hard to know who we're going to see."

Sesshoumaru chose not to reply and walked up the steps to the front door of the house and stopped briefly to talk to one of the officers standing there. He nodded and motioned for Kouga to follow him as they entered the dimly lit house. The corridor seemed to go on for too long, but eventually, they found themselves entering a living room where a woman sat on the sofa with her back to them, crying into a man's shoulder.

"I'm Detective Sergeant Miyagi," Kouga said as he walked into the room, deciding to get this over with so he could go back to bed. "This is my partner, Detective Chief Inspector…"

His words trailed off as he realised who sat on the sofa in front of him. Eyes widening, he found himself at a loss for words. Sesshoumaru moved over to where he stood and found himself staring at Rin crying into his brother's shoulder. His eyes narrowed slightly but said nothing as Kouga tried to continue.

"?" he asked stupidly as he tried to understand what was happening.

Rin looked up at him with red rimmed eyes that clearly showed how much she'd been crying. She tried to give them a smile as she recognised them, but failed miserably as her eyes filled with tears again.

"What's going on here?" Kouga demanded as he and Sesshoumaru pulled chairs up to where Inuyasha and Rin sat.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, but Rin spoke first in a hoarse whisper. "I'm next."

The three men stared at her in confused silence. Inuyasha, who did not know of the previous murders, was at a complete loss while the other two just stared at her uncomprehendingly.

"You're next?" Kouga repeated uncertainly. "Next to what?"

"To die," she whispered before turning away and burying her face in Inuyasha's shoulder.

"What?!" Inuyasha pushed her back and stared at her. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

"They called me. Three times," she said quietly. "They're watching me."

"Who's 'they'?" Kouga asked.

"I don't know."

Kouga looked helplessly at Sesshoumaru who was watching Rin thoughtfully. He knew from Kouga's look that his friend thought this was no help at all, but it could possibly be exactly what they needed.

"This could help," he said quietly, still watching the distraught woman.

"What?" the two men asked in unison.

"We might be able to catch the killer or killers when they come for ."

"Are you mad, Sesh?!" Inuyasha exploded. "You can't leave Rin on her own! What if the psycho actually does something to her?!"

"I never said she would be alone," Sesshoumaru replied, looking at his brother calmly.

"B-But I live alone," she said quietly, eyes wide with fright at what he was suggesting.

"Then we change that."

"How?" Inuyasha asked, now getting confused.

"Stationing someone to be with her," Kouga said slowly, catching on to Sesshoumaru's idea.

"But if they know there's some guy from the police here, they probably won't do anything," Inuyasha said, still not liking the idea very much.

"It doesn't have to be someone in uniform," Kouga stated, now beginning to like the idea.

The two detectives got to their feet and Rin and Inuyasha followed suit. By now, Rin was dressed in the clothes she had been wearing that day and followed the trio of men out to where the cars waited.

"I suggest you stay with Inuyasha tonight, ," Sesshoumaru said.

"We'll work out the details of the plan and be in contact," Kouga added.

With that, Rin watched the two men walk away and sighed softly. She was grateful for their protection, but wondered if this plan would work. The idea of being bait for a serial killer did not appeal to her very much, but she had little choice but to accept their judgement and hope it all worked out in the end.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Later that day, Sesshoumaru sat in his office for once not doing any work. The placing of his desk allowing him to lean against the wall and prop his feet up on his desk without the fear of falling and that was exactly what he did. With a tired sigh, he leaned his head back against the back of his chair and closed his eyes as he thought through the events of the night before. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, the door crashed open and Kouga came in looking as tired as he felt.

"No time for sleep now, Sesh," he said as he stopped in front of his friend. "The Chief wants to see us."

"Why?"

"Something to do with the plan you came up with last night."

Sighing again, Sesshoumaru reluctantly got to his feet just as the Chief of the department came into the room. After greeting the two men, the Chief headed over to sit on the sofa, indicating that the men should seat themselves.

"I normally don't take any interest in what you boys do, but I think I'm going to have to step in this time," the elderly Chief said as he watched the two men.

"Why?" Kouga asked in surprise.

"To make sure you've thought this plan through," he said simply. "I can't have you endangering some poor woman with a half baked idea."

"Half baked?!" Kouga repeated, irritation beginning to grow. "The plan makes perfect sense! It's the only way we can catch this guy. How many more people do you want to die because of him?"

"Fine, fine!" The Chief said, realising he stood no chance of winning this argument. "But I will help you plan it. I don't want any mistakes."

Kouga grinned at the elderly man before looking over at Sesshoumaru who merely nodded. He was about to speak when the Chief interrupted again.

"So you were going to station someone with her at all times, is that right?" The man asked, watching them carefully.

"That's the idea," Kouga nodded, realising that Sesshoumaru was not going to put in any input unless directly spoken to.

"Who did you have in mind?"

"No one yet. It has to be someone very capable."

The Chief nodded. "Very capable." He frowned and thought over the idea for possible candidates. "How about the DCI over there?"

Kouga turned to look at his friend; suddenly realising that is was probably going to be the best idea. He hadn't even considered the idea of one of them doing the job. Judging by the distant look on his face, Kouga guessed that Sesshoumaru had not been listening and he had to resist the urge to sigh at his blatant disrespect for the Chief. Sometimes he wondered how Sesshoumaru ever got promoted to where he was now.

"I think it's a good idea, but he may not agree to it," Kouga said, turning back to the elderly man.

"That's too bad. He does it or the plan goes no further," the Chief said with a frown. "He's one of the most competent men in this department, besides, it was his idea."

Kouga laughed at the logic and nodded before turning back to his friend.

"Sesh, the plan's going ahead."

"Good. Who's looking after her?"

"You," Kouga said with a grin.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he sat upright. "What?"

"You're looking after her, Sesh."

"Why?"

"It was your idea."

Sesshoumaru frowned at that and was about to retort when the Chief spoke. "Would you really trust one of those rookies out there with looking after her?" he asked, gesturing to the men outside with his thumb.

"It makes no difference to me who looks after her," Sesshoumaru said shortly, his eyes narrowing.

"It should matter," the Chief said again. "Do you know nothing about women?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Sesh, you're so slow when you don't sleep," Kouga teased. "What the Chief means is that is Kagome's best friend and Kagome happens to be married to your brother, consider the implications of angering Kagome."

With that said, the two men watched as Sesshoumaru contemplated what they had just said. The pair had difficulty restraining their laughter when they saw that he understood exactly what they meant as he paled slightly. He sighed and leaned forward in his seat.

"I'm going to have to have words with Inuyasha about his wife's temper," he said in a dangerously low voice.

"But you're going to take the job, right?" Kouga asked eagerly.

"What choice do I have?"

"Good man!" Kouga clapped him on the back with a grin.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

After work that day, Sesshoumaru sat in his car and sighed as he closed his eyes. He had been taken off duty at the department and given the sole responsibility of looking after Kagome's friend. Why had he suggested this idea? Looking at his watch, he noted that she would be back from work by now and if he left now, he would at her home within minutes. He sighed again and reluctantly started his car.

Rin hesitated before opening the door slightly. Her eyes widened when she saw Sesshoumaru Taisho standing on her doorstep and she opened the door quickly to let him in. She noticed that he looked very tired and decided to get straight to the point to save him the bother of staying longer than was necessary.

"What can I do for you?" she asked quietly as she gestured for him to sit in the living room.

"I'm here about the incident that occurred last night," he said, taking in the weariness and fear that seemed to be etched across her face.

"Ah, that. What about it?"

"We've finalised the plan we discussed briefly last night."

Rin stared at him. Surely he wasn't serious about using her as bait? "R-Really?"

"There is no need to look so fearful, ," he said with mild amusement. "Nothing will happen to you."

"What's going to happen," she asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

"We have decided on the person who will be stationed here with you."

"I see. Who is it?"

"Me."

Rin's eyes widened at that and she stared at him in surprise for a moment. Something about the way he had spoken made her wonder if it was voluntary and she couldn't help but smile as she tried to picture anyone forcing this man to do anything.

"Was that a voluntary choice?" she asked, a smile pulling her lips.

"Honestly, no it wasn't."

She giggled. "How did you end up with the job?"

"If I didn't do it, the plan would not have gone ahead."

Nodding in understanding, she regained her composure and all humour vanished from her as though wiped away. She looked him directly in the eye and took a deep breath.

"What happens now?"

"I will be you from now on."

"Be with me?" she asked in confusion.

"Yes. I will accompany you wherever you go to ensure your safety."

"I see."

"We will need to make arrangements regarding accommodation," he said, eyeing her thoughtfully.

"W-We will?"

"Yes. We have two options as I see it."

Rin gulped, almost afraid to ask what they were. "Which are?"

"We either stay here where this man knows where to find you or we go to my apartment."

"Your apartment?!" She stared at him in surprise.

"Logic dictates that if you were next on his 'list' then he would find you regardless of where you were," Sesshoumaru said, still looking thoughtful and completely unaware of the fear he was invoking in the woman opposite him.

"Regardless of where I was," Rin repeated looking pale and on the verge of collapse.

"Indeed," he turned to look at her. "The choice is yours."

"I… uh… I-I don't know," she stammered. "Whichever you think is safest."

"My apartment then," he said with a nod.

Nodding, Rin rose to her feet and went to pack some clothes to take with her. She wondered how long this would last and then realised that it made no difference. If the killer wasn't caught, then it was exactly as Sesshoumaru said. There was nowhere she could hide if she was truly the next to die. Heaving a sigh, she picked up her bag and walked back into the living room where she had left Sesshoumaru.

"Are you ready?" he asked as he rose to his feet.

"Yes."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru took her bag from her and followed her outside, waiting patiently as she locked the door. Within minutes, they were on their way to Sesshoumaru's apartment. Rin stared out the window as they drove, her feelings a mixture of relief that someone was going to look after her and confusion about Sesshoumaru. Every other time she had met him, he had always been polite and she found it very difficult to find anything wrong with him. Anything other than his silence, that is.

"We have arrived," Sesshoumaru announced after about half an hour.

Rin quietly followed him towards the enormous apartment building and stood silently beside him as they waited for the elevator. She sighed when they entered the elevator and were alone.

"Something wrong?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

"Why are they targeting me?" she asked, her face showing her worry.

"I could not say," he said as he watched the floors numbers above the door light up.

"T-They won't find me, will they?" she whispered, looking fearful.

"Definitely not."

The doors opened and Sesshoumaru ushered her out of the elevator and down to the end of the corridor where he paused in front of a door. He was just getting his keys out of his pocket when a voice from behind them made Rin freeze in her spot beside him. Sesshoumaru turned around to face the newcomer, gently pulling Rin closer to him as a precaution.

"Sesshoumaru!" a female voice called as the pair turned around.

Rin turned to see a woman about the same age as herself standing behind them, hands on her hips and red eyes flashing. She had to admit that the woman was beautiful and she also seemed to be upset about something.

"Where did you go last night?" the woman demanded, her brow furrowed.

"I had some work to attend to," he said calmly as he found the key he needed.

"So early in the morning?"

"It was rather important business," he said and glanced down at Rin briefly.

The unknown woman clearly noticed the look and turned her gaze from the tall male to the considerably shorter female who stood tucked into his side. Red eyes flashed as they fell upon Rin and said woman couldn't help but shudder.

"Would you introduce me to your friend?" the woman asked in a sweet voice.

"Kagura Tanaka this is Rin Yoshida," Sesshoumaru introduce the two women.

Rin nodded respectfully but chose to remain silent while Kagura eyed her with a critical eye. Sesshoumaru merely stood between the pair and waited to see if Kagura was feeling bad tempered today. He knew very well that she had taken a liking to him when he moved into the building but had chosen to ignore it. Unfortunately for him, Kagura tried to show her affection at every possible opportunity.

"You went to see a woman in the middle of the night?" Kagura asked, eyes narrowing.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru answered truthfully while Rin's heart sank as she realised the implications that response would have for her.

At that, Kagura scowled and turned on her heel, leaving the pair standing alone outside Sesshoumaru's apartment. He shook his head and unlocked the door, ushering her inside.

"You'll have to excuse Kagura," Sesshoumaru said as he put her bag down beside a sofa in the living room. "She seems to think she plays a major role in my life."

Rin looked at him curiously. "She doesn't?"

"Not at all."

"I see."

"Unfortunately, there is only one room here," Sesshoumaru said as he led her down the corridor to the bedroom. "You will take that and I will take the sofa."

Rin gaped at him. "I couldn't! I don't mind sleeping on the sofa."

Sesshoumaru stopped and turned to look at her thoughtfully. "Perhaps not, but you will still take the bed."

Without another word, he opened the door to a large bedroom with an equally large bed in the middle. He walked over to the bed and placed her bag beside it before turning to look at her.

"I hope you will be comfortable, please inform me if there is anything you require."

"T-This is more than enough," she stammered, waving her hands in front of her for emphasis.

"Very well. I'll leave you to unpack while I prepare dinner."

He turned to walk away and just as he reached the door, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Turning around he found Rin standing behind him with a blush staining her cheeks. She smiled slightly and withdrew her hand hesitantly as he looked down at her with a questioning gaze.

"Please let me prepare the food," she said quietly. "You were kind enough to let me stay here; it's the least I can do to repay the favour."

Sesshoumaru stared at her in surprise. He somehow doubted she would listen if he said no to her offer. "Very well," he said quietly. "If that's what you would like."

Rin grinned at him, clearly some of her enthusiasm had returned to her and he couldn't help the tiny smile that tugged the corners of his mouth. After a moment, he looked away and showed her where the bathroom was before leaving her to unpack. Watching him leave, Rin felt her heart flutter in her chest as a blush crept across her cheeks again. Perhaps a shower would be a good idea.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The days passed quickly and soon Sesshoumaru found himself so accustomed to Rin's presence in his home that if felt like she had always been there. It surprised him and he wondered what it would be like when life returned to normal for them both. That time, however, still seemed to be a long way off.

Rin left the building only to visit Taiki or to go shopping; her work had been informed of the situation and had agreed to give her some time off until the situation was resolved. Despite enjoying the time she spent getting to know Sesshoumaru, Rin began to wonder if perhaps the danger had passed, but she never brought the subject up in case the time she spent with the elder Taisho son came to an abrupt end. Unfortunately, Rin's thoughts of the danger having passed could not have been more wrong.

Sesshoumaru sat quietly in the car as usual as he waited for Rin to finish shopping. He knew that he should probably accompany her inside, but decided that no one would be stupid enough to attack her in a crowded area in broad daylight. That thought turned out to be nearly fatal. Looking up from the book he was reading, he saw Rin walking towards the car with the groceries and got out of the car to go and carry some of the bags. As soon as his feet touched the floor, his eyes widened as he watched the grocery bags tumble to the ground as a man appeared behind Rin, pinning her arms to her sides with a knife held to her throat. Sesshoumaru, along with security guards from nearby, raced towards the pair but were stopped when the man spoke.

"Stay back," he ordered in a voice that seemed oddly high pitched for a man.

Everyone stopped and Rin whimpered softly as the knife bit into her flesh, a droplet of blood trickling down her exposed neck. Anger raced through Sesshoumaru as he could only look on helplessly. Desperately he looked around for something that could help him get to Rin, but found nothing. Growling in annoyance, he clenched his fists as he glared daggers at the man.

"What do you want?" Sesshoumaru demanded.

"All your money!" the man said loudly, his voice trembling as he spoke. "Now!"

Sesshoumaru sighed and dug his wallet out of his pocket and threw it on the ground in front of him, nodding at the men beside him to follow suit. Eventually, five wallets lay side by side and the man holding Rin started to inch towards them, his eyes going from one man to another rapidly. He hadn't even got halfway there when a hand appeared from nowhere and grabbed the hand holding the knife, pulling it back with ease. The man fell to the ground and Rin turned around to find another security guard standing beside the man. Evidently someone had managed to creep up behind him. She was grateful and nodded her thanks before turning to go to where Sesshoumaru stood, but the man on the ground lashed out at her as she took a step forward and she felt a sudden pain in her leg as he slashed the back of her calf with the knife. Her eyes widened as she stumbled and fell to the ground. Instinctively, her eyes closed as she waited for impact with the ground, but instead she found herself colliding with something warm and solid. Cracking her eyes open, she looked up to see Sesshoumaru towering above her, holding her upright but his eyes fixed on the man who had now been completely overpowered by the security guards.

"Are you alright?" he asked when he looked down at her, his eyes softening.

"I think so," she said and allowed him to help her onto her feet.

Sesshoumaru knelt beside her and examined the injury. "It doesn't seem serious."

Without a word, Rin found herself swept off her feet and deposited in the car. She watched Sesshoumaru talk briefly to the security guards before getting in beside her. He said nothing as they drove back to the apartment but frowned when he saw how pale she had become as the reality of the situation she was in dawned on her. Once more, he lifted her up out of the car and calmly walked towards the building's entrance. When they exited the elevator, Sesshoumaru almost groaned when he heard Kagura's voice drift over to them. He turned to look at her with an expression of mild annoyance.

"Excuse us, Kagura, we cannot stop to talk," he said shortly before she could speak.

Kagura was left standing in the middle of the corridor watching Sesshoumaru walk away carrying Rin. She glared daggers at the girl as the pair disappeared into his apartment.

Once inside, Sesshoumaru carefully put Rin down on the sofa before disappearing to get some bandages and something to clean the wound with. While he was away, Rin tried to get a look at the wound the unknown man had inflicted upon her. She twisted around in the sofa and tried in vain to look over her shoulder but merely ended up falling off the sofa and landing on her back on the floor. When Sesshoumaru returned, he found Rin lying on her back blinking owlishly as she stared up at the ceiling. He struggled to contain his laughter as she turned to look up at him. Walking forward, he knelt beside her and smirked at her.

"What happened here?" he asked as she sat up.

"I fell off the sofa," she said with a sheepish smile.

"I noticed," he said, shaking his head.

"Is it bad?" she asked as she watched him frown before reaching for the bottle of antiseptic liquid and cotton wool.

"No, just bloody." He paused before cleaning the wound and looked at her. "Unless you're flexible, I suggest you turn over. It's rather hard to get to the wound from this angle."

Rin blushed and rolled over onto her stomach giving him clear access to her leg. She heard the soft sound of him sitting down on the floor and sighed softly. Turning her head on her arms, Rin attempted to look over her shoulder to see what he was doing but eventually gave up. Then she felt something cool against her leg which was quickly followed by a stinging sensation that caused her to catch her breath.

"Sorry, I should've warned you," he said quietly, his voice betraying how preoccupied he was.

"It's alright," Rin said quietly, biting her lip.

After a couple of minutes, Rin sighed in relief when the stinging subsided. Once more, she tried to look over her shoulder and saw only a small pile of bloody cotton wool on an empty plastic bag. Her eyes widened at the thought of all that having come from her body.

"Stay still," Sesshoumaru reprimanded quietly. "I can't bandage it properly if you move around."

"Sorry," she whispered and remained still as she felt gentle hands wrapping the linen bandage around her leg.

"Done," he said after a few minutes and sat back to admire his handiwork.

Rin looked at him over her shoulder and smiled gratefully. Carefully, she rolled over onto her side only to find her injured leg lying on Sesshoumaru's lap. Blushing slightly, she was surprised when he merely adjusted the bandage and stayed seated.

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"You're welcome." The pair looked at each other for a while until eventually, Sesshoumaru got to his feet. "Let's get you back on the sofa," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Sesshoumaru leaned down and grasped her hands gently pulling her up. After making sure she was comfortable, he went to the kitchen to make coffee. Returning shortly after, he sat down beside her and watched her quietly as she drank her coffee.

"I'll be coming into the shops with you from now on," Sesshoumaru said as he watched her.

"You don't have to," she smiled at him.

"Considering what happened today, I'd say I do. We're just lucky he was an ordinary thief and not anyone else."

Rin laughed softly and rubbed her neck. "You may call that lucky, but forgive me if I disagree."

Rin sat still in her seat, one hand curled around a mug of coffee and then other absently rubbing the spot on her neck where the knife had cut into her skin. Sesshoumaru watched her for a moment before remembering the knife. Sitting up, he took the mug from her and pushed her back against the sofa, tilting her head upwards as he did so. She gasped in surprise, but put up no fight when she felt his fingers running along the tiny cut.

"You should have reminded me," he said quietly, his fingers lingering on the soft skin of her neck.

Reaching for a clean piece of cotton wool, Sesshoumaru applied the antiseptic liquid before turning back to Rin who was watching him curiously. Her eyes widened when she felt his hand brush her hair back and tilt her head to get a clear view of the cut. Dropping his hand, he silently cleaned the wound and was surprised when he felt her fingers wrap around his. Looking at her face, he noticed her eyes tightly closed and realised that the antiseptic was causing her discomfort. Sighing softly, he squeezed her hand and was relieved when she opened her eyes and gave him a small smile.

"Any other injuries I should know about?" Sesshoumaru asked as he sat back.

"None."

"Good."

She watched as he got to his feet and closed the bag of bloody cotton wool before disappearing into the kitchen to dispose of it. Sighing, she stared up at the ceiling and thought about the man who seemed so cold but was in fact the opposite. Somehow, Rin found herself to envious of the woman who would spend her life with this man.

Little did she know, while she was lost in her thoughts, the very man who occupied them stood in the doorway watching her quietly. He was stunned that she had not succumbed to tears considering what had happened earlier. Sesshoumaru found her to completely different to what he had originally thought. He had expected tears to be a fairly regular occurrence what with everything that was happening in her life at the moment, but he had not seen her shed a tear since the night he saw her with Inuyasha. If he was to be honest with himself, Sesshoumaru had to admit that he had been jealous of his brother that night. Having admitted that, he began to wonder when he started to notice the woman, he did not see her very often after all. A soft sigh brought him back to reality and he found that Rin had fallen asleep on the sofa. He frowned slightly knowing that neither of them had eaten, but decided to let it pass in favour of admiring the peaceful expression on her beautiful face.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

In the days after the incident at the grocery store, Sesshoumaru had been true to his word and went into every shop with her. Initially, Rin had attempted to persuade him that it was not necessary, but soon realised that he was not going to pay any attention to her request and decided to enjoy yet another chance to spend more time with him. She found it amusing that he seemed to be constantly watching the people around them as though he thought the world were bent on injuring her. More often than not, her amusement turned to a blush when someone came to close to her and he pulled her against him, keeping her anchored to his side with a strong arm wrapped around her waist.

At those times, it was Sesshoumaru who found amusement in their situation. He had surprised himself by becoming very protective of the diminutive woman who had suddenly come into his life. Going into shops with her was something he had hoped to avoid, knowing full well how much some women enjoyed shopping, but now that he found himself accompanying her, he found that he liked the time he spent watching over her. It seemed that she was in her element when in a shop and Sesshoumaru found himself drawn to her when she flashed him a smile as she pulled him from store to store. However, as much as he enjoyed the shopping experience, he was still very conscious of the number of people around them and how many of them could injure her at any time. The very thought of having to tend to another wound on her petite form made his blood boil. Soon, he found himself pulling her against him whenever someone walked a little too close to her. The blush that covered her face at this time made him want to chuckle at how cute she looked, but of course, he never did.

Unfortunately for the pair, all good things must come to an end and although they didn't know it, their time together was drawing to an end. It had started with a simple phone call from Kouga asking Sesshoumaru to come into the office and it seemed that the situation escalated from there.

"Is something wrong?" Rin asked, looking through the kitchen door into the living room when she heard Sesshoumaru talking.

"I've been called into office," he said as he replaced the receiver. "The Chief wants to see both you and I, but someone will be sent to collect you as I'm needed more urgently."

Rin nodded as she wiped her hands on the towel. "When will I be collected?"

"Two hours time."

"Alright," she said and beckoned him into the kitchen. "You must have breakfast before you leave though."

Concealing a smile, Sesshoumaru sat down at the table, now used to being given food even when he didn't think he needed it. The pair ate breakfast in content silence like they did every morning until Sesshoumaru eventually thanked her and got to his feet. Rin smiled and waved at him as he left the apartment. Once in his car, Sesshoumaru sighed and looked back up at the building before driving away. He knew better than to ask the Chief to reschedule a meeting, but he didn't feel comfortable leaving Rin alone for any length of time. Yet again he surprised himself with how protective he'd become of the woman but quickly shook the thoughts out of his head before he changed his mind and turned around to head back to the apartment.

"You took your time getting here," Kouga said with a grin as he clapped his friend on the back as he came into the office they shared for the first time in weeks.

"I had to be force fed first," Sesshoumaru said, with vague amusement.

"The Chief wants a word with you before Rin arrives." Kouga picked up a pair of keys and started towards the door. "I'm off to fetch her now."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru got to his feet and headed off towards the Chief's office, wondering what the sudden meeting was about. He hoped it wasn't anything else he had suggested that he was now being forced to do like the idea of looking after Rin. The thought stunned him, despite the fact that he had indeed been forced to take on the role of her protector; it didn't feel that way at all. Shrugging the thought away, he knocked on a door and pushed it open. The Chief looked up from the papers on his desk and grinned at the stoic detective.

"Good to see you, boy!" he said as he got to his feet before shaking Sesshoumaru's hand.

"And you, sir."

"Sit down! We've got some things to discuss." The pair sat down and there was silence for a minute as the older man flipped through some papers.

"What was it you wanted to see me about, sir?" Sesshoumaru eventually asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"You remember that murder case you were working on?" Sesshoumaru nodded. "It's closed, we found the culprit."

Sesshoumaru stared at the man, not sure what to say. If what he said was true then no one was after Rin anymore. Her life was no longer in danger. Relief washed over him and he revelled in the knowledge that nothing would happen to her, but as soon as he realised that, he also came to the realisation that if she was no longer in danger, there was no longer any need for him to look after her. If there was no need for protection, then she was free to return home. The implications of that hit him like a ton of bricks. Should he be pleased to get his own home to himself again? Should he be pleased that he could now return to his normal job? Or should he be mourning the loss of a friendship that could have developed into something else?

"Ah, the lady in question has just arrived," the Chief said as he rose to his feet, putting the phone down.

Sesshoumaru blinked as he also got to his feet, he had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even heard the phone ring to announce Rin's arrival. The door behind him opened and Kouga walked in with Rin by his side. She saw Sesshoumaru and immediately flashed him a brilliant smile which he acknowledged with a nod. Her knee length skirt and blouse flattered her curvaceous figure and her long hair had been tied up, showing off her elegant neck. He frowned slightly when he noticed the plaster covering the cut on her neck. Although it was probably already healed, she seemed to have forgotten to remove it.

"Good morning," the Chief greeted with a friendly smile. "I'm the department chief, Minoru Kato. Please take a seat."

Rin sat down beside Sesshoumaru while Kouga chose to perch on a table at the back of the room by the door. Once everyone was seated, the Chief smiled at everyone and turned to look at Rin.

"I was just saying to the DCI here," he began, nodding in Sesshoumaru's direction. "We have caught the culprit behind the murders that took place in your street."

Rin's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, ma'am. It turned out to be a peculiar man who had rather disturbing interest in Jack the Ripper. Have you heard of him?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"The man is now in custody awaiting a prison sentence so it's now safe to return to your home." He turned to look at Sesshoumaru. "You will be placed back on duty with immediate effect, welcome back DCI Taisho."

Taking that as the hint to leave, Rin thanked the Chief and rose to her feet, leaving the men. As she closed the door behind her, she heaved a sigh and sank down into the nearest chair. Now that she had the chance to go back to her own home, it felt like the last place on earth she would want to be. She had become so used to having someone around to talk to, that the thought of going back to living alone was somewhat depressing. Her head rose sharply when she heard the door open and saw Sesshoumaru emerge with Kouga.

"It's good to have you back, Sesh," he said patting him on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow!"

Rin stood up beside him and watched Kouga walking down the hallway. "I guess he missed you."

"It seems so," Sesshoumaru looked down at her. "Shall we go?"

Following him, Rin sighed quietly to herself, not sure what to think or how to feel. She gave him a weak smile as he opened the car door for her. The drive back to the apartment was uncomfortably silent as neither knew what to say. Even the elevator ride up to the apartment was awkward and Rin couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Would like to return to your home tonight?" Sesshoumaru asked, eventually deciding to take on the subject they had both clearly been avoiding.

"Uh," Rin stared at him. "I think tomorrow would be better."

Sesshoumaru nodded and watched as she turned away and walked towards the room she had been using. She stopped and turned around to look at his with a weak smile. "You'll get to sleep in your own bed tomorrow night; I bet you've missed it."

Rin didn't wait for an answer, but turned around and carried on down the corridor. When the door clicked shut, Sesshoumaru released the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. Even though he had missed his bed, he had to admit that he was going to miss Rin even more.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN****: **Thank you to CelestialDragon 423 for all the help you gave me :)

**Chapter 9**

Sesshoumaru sat behind his desk the next day, looking out the window while he ignored Kouga talking about Ayame. His mind was solely focused on the one woman who seemed to have made his life brighter with her presence. Truthfully, he was dreading having to take Rin home that evening. The very thought of having to say good bye to her made him feel like he was losing an integral part of his life. It was clear by her reaction the night before that she was also upset about this new development, but he couldn't bring himself to talk to her about it lest it cause her more pain than was necessary.

The hours passed far too quickly for his liking and soon Sesshoumaru found himself standing outside the door to his apartment, staring at the door but not wanting to go inside. His sharp hearing picked up the sounds of movement inside and he imagined Rin to be bustling about preparing dinner as normal. With great reluctance, he opened the door and it was exactly as he pictured in his mind. Everything looked the same as it had when he left and the sounds of her in the kitchen were so familiar that his heart warmed slightly, but then his eyes fell on the bag sitting on the chair she usually occupied and his heart sank.

Rin looked around into the living room and noticed him standing there, doing nothing but staring down at her bag. She would have dismissed the scene as him probably glad that he would have his home to himself again, but there was something so forlorn about the way he stood there that she felt a rush of pity for him.

"Welcome back," she said as she came into the room.

He raised his eyes and nodded. "Are you ready to leave?" he asked, deciding not to drag the whole thing on longer than necessary.

"Yes."

"Let's go then," he said, picking up her bag.

After what seemed like a very long journey, Sesshoumaru stopped the car in front of Rin's house and turned to look at her as she gazed up at the building that now seemed foreign to her. Sighing softly, she stepped out of the car and walked over to where Sesshoumaru stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to the front door. Fumbling with the keys, she unlocked the door and stepped inside, switching on a light as she did so. Sesshoumaru followed and put her bag down just inside the door before turning to look down at her, not sure what to say or do. Rin turned to look at him and blushed.

"Thank you for looking after me," she said quietly, not meeting his gaze.

"You're welcome," was the gruff reply.

Rin looked up to see gentle amber eyes looking back down at her and she could feel tears welling in her own eyes. She looked away, sure that she would burst into tears if she held his gaze any longer and she had promised herself that she would not let him see her cry.

"Perhaps I'll see you at Inuyasha's sometime," she said softly, unable to keep the hope from her voice.

"Perhaps," he nodded. He was struggling with the desire to turn and leave and wanting to hold her until her obvious pain disappeared. "I should go, you'll need to time settle in."

He turned around and walked back to the door while Rin followed reluctantly. Stepping through the door, he turned back to look at her. He wanted to say something that would bring her usual smile back to her face, but words failed him.

"Good bye," he said quietly, for once not bothering to hide the emotion in his eyes.

Just as he reached the bottom of the steps, he stopped in his tracks when he heard her call his name.

"Sesshoumaru, wait," she said quietly.

Rin quickly came down the steps to where he stood and looked up at him. He stared back down at her, wondering what she wanted and soon got his answer when she reached up and placed her hands on his shoulders, pulling him down towards her. As he got closer, she paused, biting her lip as though reconsidering something. Then, she leaned up and pressed a kiss against his cheek before stepping back, blushing furiously.

"Thank you," she whispered and as he looked into her eyes, he knew that she was truly grateful for everything he had done for her.

With a nod and a vague smile, he walked over to his car and reluctantly drove away, leaving her standing outside her door, watching him disappear into the darkness. Sighing, Rin walked into her house and closed the door softly behind her before sitting down heavily on the sofa. She had been so happy the past few weeks, but now, she looked around and saw only an empty house. Tears welled up in her eyes and this time she did nothing to stop them from falling. Curling up on the sofa, she clutched a pillow and let her tears fall as she mourned the loss of something that could've changed her life.

"Tears don't become you," a gruff male voice said, breaking the silence.

Rin's eyes widened and her tears stopped almost instantly. Her body froze as she turned around to see a tall dark haired man casually leaning against the door frame. He grinned at her, showing straight white teeth, then pushed himself upright and making his way across the room to her. Rin opened her mouth to scream when his hand closed around her wrist, but no sound came as she was pulled roughly to her feet and hurled across the room. She slammed into a nearby wall and slid to the floor, cracking an eye open, she saw the man advancing on her again and struggled to get to her feet.

"You're a naughty one," the man said, his grin getting bigger as he drew closer. "You made me wait a long time for this."

The man pulled her to her feet and pulled a knife from his pocket. His hand tangled itself in her hair, pulling her head back to expose her neck, and he chuckled to himself.

"It seems someone tried to steal my fun from me," he frowned as he ran his finger over the plaster on her neck. "No matter, you're here now."

"Let me go, please, let me go," Rin whispered hoarsely as she recoiled from the stranger's touch, tears falling from her eyes again.

"Let you go?" the man laughed. "By the end of the night, you'll be begging me to kill you."

Rin's eyes widened as the man started to laugh. Without warning, he hurled her across the room again and laughed manically as she crashed into a table, glass cutting her skin as it shattered. As the man advanced on her again, she scrambled to her feet and tried to make a run for the nearest door but found her path blocked as the man backed her into a corner. Beginning to panic, she clenched her fist and hit him in the jaw as hard as she could. Swearing, the man wiped the blood from his lip before rounding on her with a look that promised pain. He slapped her again and again before the slaps became punches. Grabbing her by the collar of her shirt, he lifted her off the floor and sent her flying across the room to land painfully on her back.

Suddenly, she was pinned to the ground by the heavy weight that was the unknown man. He loomed over her and grinned again. The knife appeared in one hand and he ran the tip along her cheek, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Then the hand disappeared and her eyes widened again as she felt it creeping up under her shirt. Unable to move, she tried to scream but was silenced by a rough kiss. She squirmed as she felt his teeth digging into her lip and his nails leaving marks on her skin as they trailed up to her chest. If his intention was rape, then she truly wished he would kill her there and then.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

That night had been the worst night's sleep he had had in a very long time. Sesshoumaru sighed and got out of his car, stopping to glare at the building which housed his office. The linen in his bed had smelled of her and although that had been comforting initially, it soon became the cause of his restless sleep. He would wake from dreams of holding her in his arms to an empty bed and her scent was enough to almost send him insane. Shaking his head, he pushed away thoughts of her as he walked towards the office he shared with Kouga. His mind had drifted back to wondering when he would see her again when the office door opened violently and Kouga rushed towards him.

"No time for coffee today, Sesh," he said urgently. "We've got somewhere to be."

"Where would that be?" Sesshoumaru asked with an obvious air of disinterest.

"There's been another murder."

Sighing again, Sesshoumaru turned around and followed Kouga to the car and sat silently thinking about the woman who plagued his thoughts as they drove to their destination. Kouga noticed the change in his partner but wisely chose not to comment on it. Instead, he simply announced their arrival at the crime scene. Sesshoumaru looked around and his eyes widened slightly as he recognised it as the street where Rin lived. Fear formed a knot in his stomach as they rounded the corner and saw a row of ambulances and police cars in front of two houses, one of which was Rin's.

"What happened here?" Kouga asked the nearest officer. "Double murder?"

"Almost, sir," the man said with a grimace.

The two detectives walked up to the two houses where they found Miroku examining a bloody knife. He paused and turned to greet the two men with a grimace that did not promise good news.

"The guy over there was pretty vague," Kouga said with a frown. "What really happened?"

"One woman murdered," he said and watched as a covered body was removed from one of the houses on a stretcher.

Sesshoumaru would have gasped had he been a lesser man, but he merely stared at the house the body had come from. It was Rin's. He glanced at Kouga who gave him a nod of understanding.

"Another woman was pretty badly beaten up," Miroku continued. "She was taken to hospital about an hour ago."

"What were their names?" Sesshoumaru asked, although he feared the response.

"Mei Abe and Rin Yoshida. Although I don't know which one was one which."

Nodding his thanks, Kouga pulled Sesshoumaru away back towards the car and looked him in the eye. It was a look that clearly said he knew exactly how Sesshoumaru felt about the woman.

"Now don't go assuming the worst," he said trying to calm his friend. "There were two women here and both are at the hospital. Want to go check?"

"You don't like hospitals."

"That doesn't matter," Kouga said with a frown. "Let's go."

After a 10 minute journey, Sesshoumaru was out of the car and striding rapidly up to the hospital's front doors. Kouga ran to catch up with his partner and caught up just as he approached the reception desk. He smiled at the woman behind the desk who looked up at the two men enquiringly.

"Is there something I can do for you gentlemen?" she asked politely.

"I'm Detective Sergeant Kouga Miyagi and this is my partner…"

"Oh!" the woman exclaimed. "You'll be here about the two ladies just brought in."

"Could you give us any information about them?" Kouga asked, hoping it was good news for his friend.

"I will call the doctor who treated one of the ladies, please take a seat."

Sesshoumaru paced the floor impatiently while Kouga could only look on with mounting worry for his friend. He wondered how Sesshoumaru would take it if the worst had happened. Probably not very well, but then there was also Inuyasha and Kagome to consider not to mention their son.

"You two are the detectives?" a feminine voice asked. Kouga nodded. "I'm ."

"DS Kouga Miyagi, what information can you give us?"

"There was one fatality unfortunately," said as she looked at the notes on her clipboard. "We were, however, able to prevent a second. She's still unconscious, but would you like to see her?"

Nodding, Kouga grabbed Sesshoumaru's arm and dragged him down the hall after the doctor. Eventually, after many twists and turns, they stopped in front of a large white door. They walked inside and Sesshoumaru immediately looked to the only bed in the room, only to feel as though he had been hit by a lorry. Stunned, he stared at the pale form that was Rin lying on the bed. Her eyes were closed and it pained him to see her looking so weak and fragile.

"Is she alright?" Kouga asked for his friend as he stared at the figure that had been a happy woman only the day before.

"She's been quite badly beaten up, but there are no life threatening injuries. Her right wrist is fractured and she has several quite bad cuts on her face, back and arms," the doctor said, listing off all the major injuries with a sad expression. "We've managed to patch her up; we'll just have to see how she is mentally when she wakes up."

"Mentally?" Sesshoumaru asked with a frown.

The doctor nodded. "She will have been quite traumatized."

"I've got to find out the details of the murder," Kouga said with a grimace.

"This way," the doctor said and led him out the door. She paused when she saw Sesshoumaru not following but allowed herself to be led away by Kouga as he explained the situation.

Standing at the foot of the bed, Sesshoumaru stared down at Rin and felt helpless. They had foolishly thought the danger had passed and now Rin was paying the price for their carelessness. He pulled up a chair beside her bed and sat down with a sigh, taking her hand in one of his and gently brushing her dark hair away from her pale face. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward and kissed her hand gently, almost hoping that she would wake up like the princesses did in the fairy tales. When her eyes fluttered, he thought that she would open her eyes and give him the beautiful smile that gave him so much joy, but nothing happened. Sesshoumaru thought back to what the doctor had said and decided that despite not being terribly religious, he would pray for this woman. He would pray for her because he had belatedly realised that his life was empty without her. Now, as he sat beside her, he prayed that she would still be the same person she was when he had seen her last.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Sesshoumaru had by Rin's bedside for hours, waiting for her to wake up and show him her smile, but as time passed, he grew increasingly despondent. Inuyasha and Kagome received the news and had immediately hurried to see their friend. Kouga explained the situation to them and led them to the room where they found Sesshoumaru sitting beside her bed, his head down looking as though he were praying. Without a word, Kagome rushed into the room and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He stiffened for a moment but relaxed after a moment and allowed himself to lean on her for the support he needed.

"She'll be alright," Kagome said. "She's strong, she'll pull through."

Sesshoumaru nodded but chose to say nothing. Kagome's words sounded as though she were trying to convince herself as much as him. Inuyasha's hand landed on his shoulder but he took no noticed, his eyes locked on Rin's pale face. The door opened and the doctor came in to usher them out so she could check on how Rin was doing. They all waited outside the room and looked up expectantly when the door opened.

"How's she?" Kagome asked.

Dr. Sato smiled. "She's doing well. Hopefully she'll wake up soon. Are any of you related to her?"

The four people looked at each other at the question. Sesshoumaru realised that he had been the only person to visit her at all that day with the exception of Inuyasha and Kagome. No one had arrived claiming to be her family and he wondered why that was. It had never occurred to him to her about her family. Kagome cleared her throat and all eyes landed on her.

"No, none of us are."

"Have her family been informed?" The doctor asked, writing something on her clipboard.

"Ah well," Kagome faltered. "She doesn't have any family, you see."

Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome in surprise, along with everyone else aside from Inuyasha who had a grave expression. So that was why no one had come to see her.

"No family?" Dr. Sato asked in confusion. "What happened to them?"

"Rin's been an orphan since she was about 10 years old," Kagome said sadly. "Her parents and siblings were killed in an accident, she was the only survivor."

"That's terrible," the doctor said, shaking her head. "You are friends then?" Inuyasha nodded as Kagome cried into his shoulder. "You can go back in to see her."

The group walked back in and Sesshoumaru resumed his seat at her side while Kagome sat on the opposite side of the bed. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked fondly at the girl and brushed her hair from her face.

"I only met her when we were 15," she said so quietly, everyone wondered if they had heard her right. "She's like a sister to me."

Sesshoumaru stared at the woman who had been part of his family for nearly seven years but he had never taken the time to get to know. Despite her fiery temper, it was clear that Kagome was a very compassionate woman who had shared part of her life with the fragile looking woman lying unconscious on the bed before them. Now, as he sat there with Rin's hand held in his, he regretted not letting his barriers down and trying to get to know the two women.

"My mother always wanted to adopt her," Kagome whispered with a smile as she recalled fond memories. "They were so much like mother and daughter that it surprised people to find out that they weren't. Mother would be heart broken to see her now."

Inuyasha came up and wrapped his arms around her as she cried quietly. Kouga excused himself quietly and left the little family with their friend. He sighed as he reached the corridor. What had happened to the woman was tragic, but he was more worried about his friend. He remembered what Sesshoumaru had been like when his mother died and how he had completely shut down all his emotions, as though he thought it would ease his grief. When he had come into the office the day before to meet with the Chief, Kouga saw a spark in the man's eyes that hadn't been there for many years and he hoped that maybe the old Sesshoumaru was returning, but when he looked at him now, he knew that if something happened to Rin, his friend probably wouldn't be able to handle it. Glancing back into the room once more, Kouga could only pray that the woman recovered for his friend's sake.

"We're going to visit father," Inuyasha said quietly after a while. "Do you want to come?"

"I'll stay here."

Kagome walked back around to him and wrapped her arms around him again. This time, Sesshoumaru raised a hand and placed it on her arm, acknowledging her gesture of kindness. He waited until the pair had left to release the sigh he had been holding. Looking at Rin, he was somewhat relieved to see that a small amount of colour had returned to her face. As he looked at her, he made a promise to himself. He didn't want to lose this woman. She was the first woman he had let past his barriers since his mother had died, but if he was to keep her, he knew that he had to pull down all the walls that stood between them. There was no point in caring for her but letting her slip away because of his own insecurities. It was time to resurrect the man he once was.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It had been nearly two days since Sesshoumaru found out about the incident at Rin's home and after Kouga looked into it, he found that a man had attacked her in her home and would surely have been the next victim had it not been for her next door neighbour calling the police, complaining about loud noises coming from Rin's home. The woman had then decided to try and calm the situation down herself, but unfortunately, she found herself to be on the receiving end of the man's knife. Realising what he had done, the man had taken the opportunity to run before the police arrived, leaving a dead neighbour on Rin's floor.

During the whole two days, Sesshoumaru had not left Rin's beside. As the second day drew to a close, he began to lose hope. Her eyes had fluttered once but remained closed and since then nothing had happened. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, wondering what to do. Was it possible she had slipped into a coma? The thought terrified him. He knew how long those could last and he didn't want to think of that happening to Rin. Shaking his head to clear it, he knew that if there was a chance of that happening the doctor would have said so. Despite that reassurance, he couldn't help the panic he felt rising and he groaned quietly, trying hard to banish such thoughts.

While Sesshoumaru was struggling with his thoughts, Rin's eyes fluttered again but still didn't open. Her brow creased slightly as she felt herself regain consciousness. She heard a quiet groan and slowly cracked her eyes open. The light blinded her for a moment, but her gaze darted around an unfamiliar room, panic rising within her as memories of the man in her home came flooding back. Then her gaze landed on Sesshoumaru who sat beside her, staring up at the ceiling, eyes closed tight. Rin felt relief wash over her at the sight of him and she opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came. Her dry throat made it virtually impossible to talk and her fingers twitched in annoyance.

The stoic detective finally managed to banish his thoughts and sighed in relief. His hand tightened around Rin's slightly as he thought about how much he wanted to see her smile. A slight twitch beneath his fingers made his eyes shoot open. He sat still in his chair, still staring at the ceiling, slightly afraid to look back to the bed in case she was not awake. The thought of feeling that slight movement but seeing no signs of waking made him wonder whether it was really worth looking down to see her sleeping face. After a while, he eventually decided to take the risk and slowly lowered his gaze to the bed, his eyes hesitantly moving to the figure in it. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he saw brown eyes staring back at him and the smallest of smiles tugging her lips. For a moment he thought that the lack of sleep had finally gotten to him and he was hallucinating, but he felt another twitch beneath his fingers and knew that what he saw was reality.

"Rin," he said hoarsely, still not quite believing what he saw. "You're awake."

She opened her mouth to attempt to speak again but her eyes followed his figure as he got to his feet. He gave her a small smile and promised to return before disappearing out the door. Rin frowned and wished she could call out to him, but her frown disappeared when the door opened again. She looked up expectantly and saw him return with a doctor in tow. The dark haired doctor smiled down at her as she came to stand beside the bed.

"It's good to see you finally awake, Ms. Yoshida," she said in a pleasant voice before turning to usher Sesshoumaru out the door he had just come through. "You wait outside for a moment."

Without complaint, Sesshoumaru exited the room and sat down heavily on the plastic chairs in the corridor. Rin was finally awake and now he no longer had to sit beside her bed, worrying that he may never see her smile again. It amazed him that a woman he had known only a few weeks could have such an effect on him. Shrugging the thought away, he decided that how long he had known her made no difference, his feelings remained the same. Remembering the promise he had made to himself only a day or so earlier, he wondered if he could truly keep it now that she was awake, but when he thought of how she had smiled when she saw him, he knew that he was going to try his hardest to keep it.

"You can go back in now," Dr. Sato said with a smile as she looked at him.

"Is she alright?"

The doctor nodded. "She'll be fine. Don't forget to inform the rest of the family."

Without another word, the woman gave him an encouraging smile and walked away down the corridor. Sesshoumaru stared after her, grateful for the good news and time alone with Rin she had just given him. The last thing he wanted was for this moment to be spoiled by Inuyasha's boisterous behaviour and Kagome's tears. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped inside; closing it quietly behind him before making his way over to the seat he had vacated a short while before. Rin looked up at him as he sat down and she smiled. He caught his breath at the beauty of the smile and took her hand gently in his.

"I was so worried," he admitted gruffly as he leaned his forehead against her hand, eyes closing.

Her hand twisted to caress his cheek with gentle fingers and he looked up to see her still smiling. "I'm sorry," she said hoarsely.

"I'll get you some water."

After having something to drink, Rin felt better and was bale to talk more. She tightened her grip on the hand that held hers and gave Sesshoumaru a fond look before sighing.

"How long have I been here?"

"Two days," he replied quietly.

"Is that all?" Rin looked amazed. Judging by how tired Sesshoumaru looked, she had thought it was far longer than just two days. "How much sleep have you had?"

"Enough."

Rin shook her head knowing that to be a lie but chose not to pursue it. "Did you enjoy sleeping in your own bed again? That sofa could not have been comfortable," she asked with a teasing smile.

"No, I didn't," he admitted, surprising her. She started to reply, but he interrupted her. "Because you weren't there."

Blushing, she stared at him, trying to decide if he was serious and then giggled. "You shouldn't tease me like that."

Watching her blush and giggle warmed his heart so he decided not to tell her that he had not been teasing her. After a couple of minutes, she stopped giggling and looked up at him with a serious expression.

"What happened to the man in my house?"

Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrows at that, he had been sure she would not have wanted to discuss that. "Escaped," he replied shortly with a ferocious frown.

"He won't try to find me, will he?" she asked, fear evident in her voice.

"He won't lay a finger on you," Sesshoumaru promised.

Rin seemed calm after hearing his promise and relaxed into her bed, giving him a tired smile. She had still not regained her strength and her injuries were beginning to take their toll on her as she began to feel the dull ache from her bruises and wrist. Seeing how tired she had become, Sesshoumaru smiled slightly at her and pushed her back against the pillows as he pulled the blankets up around her.

"Will you stay with me?" she whispered, reaching for his hand again.

"I'm not leaving your side."

Sesshoumaru watched as she smiled at him before her eyes drifted shut. When he was sure she was asleep, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently before leaving the room to call Inuyasha to inform him of the day's events.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Upon hearing that Rin had been awake that day, Inuyasha and Kagome hurried to the hospital eager to see their friend. They were disappointed to find her asleep again when they arrived, but when they saw how the colour had returned to her face and how her fingers were entwined with Sesshoumaru's, they couldn't help but smile at the sight. The pair sat with Sesshoumaru for a couple of hours, hoping that Rin would wake up before they had to leave to fetch their son, and fortunately for them, she did.

"Rin!" Kagome exclaimed, tears cascading down her cheeks as she gently hugged the woman who was so much like a sister to her. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Unsure what to say, Rin just smiled.

"So when do you get outta here?" Inuyasha asked, leaning against the bottom of the bed.

"I don't know," she said quietly, the thought of leaving the safety of the hospital hadn't even occurred to her. Part of her wanted to stay because she knew she was safe there, but the logical part of her told her she would have to leave eventually.

"You could probably leave tomorrow if you wished," Dr. Sato said suddenly as she came into the room. "But we will have to give you a thorough check up before we let you go. Can't have you taking a turn for the worse once you've left, can we?" she smiled cheerfully.

Sesshoumaru watched Rin as the doctor gave her the news and noticed how she bit her lip nervously. While Kagome and Inuyasha chatted happily with the doctor, he squeezed her hand reassuringly. She looked up to find his amber eyes fixed on her. Blushing, she looked down. It seemed so strange for Sesshoumaru to be the one giving her comfort. Him sitting by her side for the duration of her stay in the hospital struck her as something the stoic detective wouldn't normally do for anyone save his family, and yet here he was. She smiled to herself as she wondered what she had done to endear herself to the man.

"So, where are you going to stay?" Inuyasha asked suddenly. The question had been on his mind for some time and he now had the opportunity to ask, he took full advantage of it.

Rin frowned as she thought about it, conscious of everyone's eyes on her. "I'd really like to move away if I'm totally honest."

Everyone stared at her. Her usually cheerful voice sounded so serious that they knew she had given it serious thought. Inuyasha and Kagome stared at her, they had hoped that she would end up with Sesshoumaru and they could all be a family, but now it seemed that that would never happen. Sesshoumaru himself watched her silently, disappointment welling up inside him. He could not blame her for no longer wanting to stay where she was, but it seemed that the promises he had made himself were now not going to be of any use. As he watched her think it over, he very nearly sighed in disappointment aloud, but caught himself in time. He did not want to give her anything else to worry about, and besides, emotion was something he did not show.

"M-Move away?" Kagome asked sadly.

Rin nodded and then looked up to see her friends' sad faces. "I'm not talking about leaving the city," she said, waving her left hand in front of her as if that could chase away any ideas about that. "Just away from where I was."

She smiled to herself as she saw them all visibly relax. There was no way she could leave the city. It was her home and had been every since she met Kagome on her first day of school some 9 years ago. Rin watched the group around her and smiled at the fond memories she had of them. It had been obvious from their very first meeting that Inuyasha and Kagome would end up together. Well, it had been obvious to her, maybe not to everyone else considering how often they argued when they were younger. When they had finished school at the age of 17, Inuyasha had proposed to Kagome, much to everyone's surprise, but they were even more surprised when she agreed to marry the bad tempered man. Rin remembered a lot of the rumours about the pair marrying only because Kagome was pregnant, but she knew that that was not true. However, Rin herself had wondered if perhaps they should have waited a bit longer before jumping into a marriage, but their marriage had always been strong. The couple had become her family and had both encouraged Taiki to call her "aunt." Her frown returned when she thought of the little boy.

"You could stay with us while you sort everything out," Inuyasha suggested, wondering if she would rather stay with his brother.

"Thank you, but I'd rather not see Taiki in this shape," she said ruefully, nodding towards her wrist.

Inuyasha nodded in understanding. "Then you'll have to stay with Sesshoumaru again."

Sesshoumaru had not been paying the conversation much attention since he heard that she had not planned on leaving the city. Instead he had been watching her, wondering how someone could come to care so much about a person they knew only a matter of weeks. The answer to that was probably something he would never find, but when he heard the suggestion of her staying at his home, he merely nodded, determined that his joy at the idea would not show through his placid mask. Inuyasha was not so easily fooled. He had been on good terms with his brother long enough to be able to read his expressions, regardless of how placid he may look.

"It looks like you're heading back to the sofa," Inuyasha said with a grin, clapping his brother on the back.

Rin opened her mouth to argue that, but Sesshoumaru looked at her and interrupted before she began. "It is not up for discussion."

"But…"

"You can argue all you want, but you won't get your way," Kagome said with a fond look at Sesshoumaru. "He's far too much of a gentleman."

Rin looked at Sesshoumaru and sighed at the unreadable expression on his face. "Fine."

"Good," the stoic man said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The next day, Rin found herself sitting on the edge of her bed waiting for Sesshoumaru to come back after the doctor's check up. She had been allowed to change into her own clothes, which Kagome had brought for her, which had been a difficult task with only one hand. As she sat there, she looked down at her wrist hand which looked bruised and was slightly swollen. She muttered a few curses at the hand before heaving a sigh.

"That's not like you," Sesshoumaru's voice commented from the doorway as he came in.

"What isn't?"

"Cursing."

She blushed. "Well it's annoying!" she complained with a dejected look. "What did the doctor say?"

"You are free to go."

She smiled at him and was surprised to get a very small smile in return. It seemed that he wasn't as emotionless as he liked to think he was. Rin looked down to the floor where her shoes sat and started to slide off the bed, trying not to aggravate any injuries, but it was harder than she had first thought. When she finally stood beside the bed, she felt stiff and her body ached as she moved to put her shoes on and collect her jacket.

"Can you walk alright?" Sesshoumaru asked, noticing a slightly odd expression on her face.

"Yes, I just feel stiff."

Nodding, he held the door open for her and let her pass him slowly as she made her way into the dazzling white corridor. She stumbled slightly but he was quick to steady her and she clung to his arm as they made their way to the exit. As the door to the outside world came closer, Rin felt a twinge of nervousness, but quickly pushed it aside. She would have to overcome that fear eventually, better do it now than never.

Soon, they were arriving outside the building where Sesshoumaru lived. Fortunately for him, he did not live far from the hospital which had been useful when he had finally taken Rin's advice to go and get some sleep. When Rin stepped out the car, she was scooped up off her feet and carried towards the building.

"It's alright," she protested. "I can walk."

"It's best not to strain yourself."

Rin could find no fault with his logic as that was exactly what the doctor had told her. Instead, she sighed softly and enjoyed the feeling of being held so close. Sesshoumaru looked down as he stepped into the elevator and suppressed a smile as he heard her sigh and lean into him. He had not expected her to give up the argument of walking so easily, but she seemed to understand the reasons for his actions.

"Sesshoumaru! Where have you been?" a shrill voice called as the pair stepped out the elevator.

"Busy."

Kagura then noticed Rin and fought the urge to scream. Why wouldn't he notice her? Why did he pay so much attention to that skinny woman! Her eyes flashed as she glared at Rin before she turned on her heel, leaving them alone in the corridor.

"Same as always," Rin commented with a giggle.

Sesshoumaru didn't comment but put her down gently so that he could open the door before ushering her inside. She sat down on the sofa and watched as he went to put her bag in his room again. When he returned, she smiled at him.

"It's nice to be back here," she murmured, not really intending for him to hear.

"It's nice to have you back here," he replied, causing her to blush.

"We've already discussed the teasing issue," she said with a smile when she had stopped blushing.

"I never said I was teasing."

Rin stared at him in surprise. She had not taken him to be a man who teased anyone. He sat down on the sofa beside her, calmly picking up a book and opening it. If he had not been teasing her about her coming back here, then did that mean he was not teasing her about what he had said at the hospital?

"You weren't joking," she said slowly as realisation dawned. He looked at her with a barely suppressed smile. "At the hospital, you weren't joking, were you?"

"Ah, about not being able to sleep?" She nodded. "No, I was not."

A blush crept over Rin's face as she stared at him. She had never met a man as straight forward and honest as this man. Most men would try to seduce her, but this man simply admitted it honestly as though they were talking about the weather. Sesshoumaru Taisho was an Adonis and adored by most women and Rin was no exception. Even Kagome had been in awe of him, before she met his brother. The very thought of sharing a bed with this man was enough to make her blush and her heart pound. It was not an unappealing thought, but it seemed to unrealistic. A man like him would never choose a plain woman like herself.

While Rin struggled to get her blush under control and force lewd images of the man from her mind, Sesshoumaru just smirked as he watched her. His smirk faded as his eyes drifted over her face. Her blush gave her a look of innocence that was undeniably cute and her lips looked very inviting at the moment. Ever since the night she had kissed his cheek, he had waiting for the opportunity to return the favour, although he knew that any kiss he gave her would not be as chaste as the one she had given him. Now that the opportunity had arisen, he found himself hesitating. Had he not admitted to himself that he cared for this woman? Had he not promised himself that he would let her into his life?

Without a second thought, he had turned in his seat and closed the distance between them. Rin's eyes widened in surprise and then closed them as she lost herself in the moment, but quick as it happened, it ended. The pair sat facing each other, faces inches apart. Sesshoumaru gave her the tiniest of smiles before pulling away from her while she stared at him, face flushed once again.

"I think I'll go have a shower," she said quietly and got to her feet as quickly as her injuries would allow.

Sesshoumaru watched her disappear into the bathroom with a smirk. Her lips were still as soft as he remembered them to be, but he had wanted to prolong it. Perhaps when she came out of the shower, he would get the chance to carry on what he had started.

Once locked away in the safety of the bathroom, Rin sighed and looked around the white and blue room. It was exactly the same way it was the day she left and she smiled. She had only ever used the rather large shower that stood in the corner, but her gaze landed on the equally large bath tub that sat in the opposite. The sound of the running water soothed her slightly frayed nerves and she shed her clothes before sinking down into the warm water. Sighing happily, Rin closed her eyes and let her mind drift back to what happened just a few minutes before. Colour rose in her cheeks as soon as she thought about it. She couldn't believe that Sesshoumaru had just kissed her. It was so unexpected.

After a relaxing bath, Rin carefully stepped out of the bath and reached for a towel. As she wrapped the towel around her, she looked around and saw that she had forgotten to bring clean clothes with her. Sighing in annoyance, she looked at the door and wondered if Sesshoumaru was still sitting in the living room. If he wasn't, she could make a dash for the bedroom and get changed before he saw her. Then she realised that although her stiffness had been helped by the bath, it had not gone and that combined with the injuries made it difficult to move quickly.

Rin turned around to look at her reflection in the mirror before picking up her hair clip and twisting her wet hair up to secure it at the top of her head. With a last look at her reflection, she put the clothes she had been wearing in the wash basket and then praying she wouldn't meet Sesshoumaru; she pulled the door open and took a tentative step outside.

As she limped her way across to the corridor that led to the bedroom, she cursed the designers of the apartment. Who put the bathroom door in the living room?! And why was such a fancy apartment devoid of an en suite? Muttering to herself, she tried to hurry and sighed with relief as she soon found herself in the dim lights of the corridor. Little did she know that Sesshoumaru had been standing in the kitchen doorway as she had made her way across the living room.

Initially, he had only looked in to see if Rin had finished her shower so he could ask if she wanted something to drink, but when he glanced in he had felt his breath catch in his throat. He watched as she paused slightly to adjust the towel around her before carrying on. As his eyes drank in the sight of her in nothing but a towel, he couldn't help it when his mind took a turn for the inappropriate. Even when he had turned away, he could not get the image of her from his head.

Sighing, he filled up two mugs with coffee and sat down on the sofa, waiting for her to return. Picking up his book, he tried to focus on reading but was soon frustrated when his mind kept wandering. After briefly glancing at his watch, he realised that it had been nearly ten minutes since he had seen Rin going to the bedroom. Frowning, he wondered if she was alright and decided to check. He picked up the mugs and made his way down to the bedroom, ears trained for any sound. Sesshoumaru approached the door and called her name, waiting for a response. When he heard nothing, he panicked, fearful that someone had found her. He pushed the door open, still holding the mugs and looked around the room frantically.

Rin spun around when the door crashed open, her face pale and her heart pounding in her chest. She stood in the middle of the room dressed in only her underwear, squeaking in surprise. Sesshoumaru stood in the door way, breathing heavily and clutching two mugs. She squeaked in surprise and reached for the towel to cover herself. The pair stood in silence, staring at each other, not knowing what to do or say. After a couple of minutes of silence, Rin felt her blush recede slightly and then she laughed melodiously, causing Sesshoumaru to stare at her in confusion. The last thing he had been expecting was for her to laugh.

"What's so funny?" he asked warily, feeling as though the joke were on him.

"Your expression is priceless," she giggled.

Sesshoumaru advanced on her slowly, making his way to the side of the bed to put the mugs down before sitting down on the bed and turning around to face her. Her grip on the towel which covered her had loosened slightly giving him an eyeful of cleavage. Seeming to remember her state of undress, Rin narrowed her eyes playfully and threw the towel over his head, obscuring her from view while she pulled on a pair of jeans as quickly as she could.

After pulling the towel off his head, he watched her as she rummaged through her bag to find a shirt. Sesshoumaru's eyes focused on the dark marks on her back and as he looked closer, he saw the red lines of cuts. Silently getting to his feet, he walked up to where she stood and traced his finger gently along one long cut on her shoulder. Wincing slightly, she looked up at him with surprise in her eyes.

"He did this to you?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, his eyes travelling over all the bruises and cuts. Rin nodded. "I had thought that the bruises the doctor referred to were only the ones we could see. I had no idea that it would be like this." He clenched his fists at his sides at the thought of the man touching Rin and causing her this much pain.

"Sesshoumaru?" she questioned, alarmed at how his knuckles turned white and his expression hardened.

Although his gaze was locked on her, she felt as though he didn't see her and was most likely lost in his own thoughts. He didn't respond to her and she began to wonder what he was thinking that affected him so badly. Forgetting her topless state, Rin approached him cautiously and wrapped her arms around his torso, hoping to bring him back to his normal self. She waited patiently to see how he would react and after a couple of minutes, she felt strong arms wrap tenderly around her and she sighed, snuggling into him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, stepping back to look into his face.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I promise I will find that man. He will pay for what he did to you and everyone else."

Rin chose not to reply and merely sighed happily when he wrapped his arms around her again. It was only when his fingers encountered her bra strap that he remembered her state of undress. However, she seemed content as she rested her head against his chest and he smiled slightly. As he looked down at her, he noticed how tired she looked and decided that maybe she should just go straight to bed. She mumbled something and frowned as Sesshoumaru put distance between the pair of them and carefully guided her towards the bed. Her eyes opened when she felt him lay her down. Their eyes met and he brushed a lock of hair from her face before pulling the covers over her. A tug on his shirt made him turn to look at her questioningly.

"Don't leave," she whispered, looking fearful.

She had become so used to having him near her while in the hospital that the she would frequently wake up in the night to find him still sitting in the chair beside her bed, asleep. Even though she was in his home now, the thought of being alone scared her somewhat. She needed the support he offered and it was now a question of whether he was willing to give it to her now.

"Are you sure?" he asked, wanting there to be no misunderstandings between them.

"Yes."

She moved over on the enormous bed as though to prove her point and Sesshoumaru sat down on the edge, swinging his legs up as he leaned back on the pillows. As soon as he was comfortable, Rin was beside him, snuggling into his side. He ran his fingers gently down her back and smirked at her shiver and smile. Staring down at her, he wondered how this woman could be so strong. If she had already lost her family and then this happens, how could she still smile? It amazed him.

Sesshoumaru was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Rin sit up and rise to her feet. He watched as she walked over to her bag and pull out some clothes before turning round to look at him. She seemed to come to a decision as she looked at him thoughtfully. Without a word, she turned her back on him again and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the ground and pulling a sleeveless shirt over her head. He stared at her. Did she not mind his presence while she dressed? Shrugging the thoughts away, he thought that if she didn't throw him out when she wanted to dress, then he would enjoy the show.

Just a couple of days before he had been wondering if he would ever see her again and then when sitting in the hospital he had been wondering if she would ever show him her smile again, but he was getting a whole lot more than just a smile. Amber eyes widened as she slipped her jeans off, revealing slender legs, before stepping into a pair of shorts. She turned around and walked back to the bed where he sat and sat down as though she had not just dressed in front of him. Sesshoumaru did not understand this woman, but if she was happy then that was enough for him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

When Rin woke the next morning, it took her a moment to realise where she was. She lay on her back in a rather large bed with a weight on her chest and she blinked against the sunlight for a moment before looking down. The weight against her chest was none other than Sesshoumaru Taisho. Rin could only gape at the sight on him sleeping against her, an arm wrapped possessively around her waist and his head on her chest. After a moment, she smiled as she examined his peaceful face. She had seen him sleeping before but never this close and it was an expression she had never seen before. Lifting a hand, she gently ran it through his long silver hair, marvelling at how soft it was. Her smile became a gasp of surprise when he frowned and mumbled something before tightening his arms around her and burying his face in her chest. As the shock of the sudden movement wore off, she decided that maybe it wasn't time to get up just yet. She felt so comfortable that a little longer wouldn't hurt.

An hour or so later, Sesshoumaru stirred slightly. He felt his face pressed against something soft and he buried his face in whatever it was, enjoying the feeling. Opening his eyes slowly, he wondered why his pillows had never felt that good before. Raising his eyes he came face to face with Rin's sleeping face. She looked completely at peace and there was even the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips as though she had been smiling when she fell asleep. Then realisation dawned and his eyes widened. If he had been that close to her then what had initially thought were his pillows were definitely not pillows. He closed his eyes, wondering what to do. Would Rin be upset if she woke up and found him like this? If he moved would he wake her? Who would have thought that waking up this way would throw his mind into such turmoil? Sighing softly, he opened his eyes again and looked up only to find Rin's eyes looking back at him, a smile on her lips.

"Morning," she said quietly.

Sesshoumaru stared at her. "Morning," he greeted hoarsely before trying to pull away from her.

He was surprised when he felt arms around his shoulders holding him in place. Truthfully, he didn't want to move at all. Waking up with his face buried between her voluptuous breasts was definitely not a bad way to wake up, but he was unsure what Rin would think. Her smile had not faltered which meant that once again she surprised him by not immediately throwing him out. Wondering what to do next, Sesshoumaru suddenly realised that he had wanted to get close to this woman anyway, why not take the opportunity she offered him? A smirk crossed his face at the thought and he pulled her closer, once more burying his face in her chest.

Rin giggled before turning on her side, dislodging him slightly. He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow questioning her movement. Another giggle was all the response he got from her and he almost sighed. Throwing caution to the wind, he propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her with a tender look in his normally cold eyes. He lifted a hand and caressed her cheek, smirking as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

"Rin," he said quietly and paused, suddenly not sure what to say.

"Yes?" she looked up at him and smiled again.

"Are you comfortable with this?"

"Very." Her smile vanished and she looked serious. "Are you?"

"Very," he mimicked her with a smirk.

Rin grinned at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. An idea formed in Sesshoumaru's mind as he remembered the incident from the night before on the sofa and he lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. Holding her gaze, he leaned toward her slowly, giving her every chance to evade him, but she didn't. When his lips captured her own, she sighed happily. Deciding to keep the kiss chaste at first, Sesshoumaru pulled back and noticed her flushed face with satisfaction.

He was about to lean back for another kiss when there was a sudden knocking at the door. Rin's eyes widened and he dropped his head to her chest with a growl of frustration. Dropping a quick kiss on her lips, he rolled off her and made his way through the living room to open the door.

"Sesh!" Kouga's voiced drifted through to the bedroom and Rin groaned.

"What do you want?" Sesshoumaru asked shortly.

"I was just going to see if you knew how Rin was," he started and then paused awkwardly. "But I changed my mind when I got out the elevator."

"Why are you standing here then?"

"Uh… well…" Kouga's voice trailed off.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagura jumped out from behind Kouga and launched herself at the silver haired man in the doorway.

Kouga grimaced at the sight. It had seemed like a good idea to visit Sesshoumaru to find out about Rin, but when he stepped out of the elevator he thought about it again and realised that calling so early in the morning was perhaps not the best idea considering his partner's temperament. He knew from past experience that waking Sesshoumaru up early in the morning when it wasn't necessary was a very bad idea. Now thinking he'd call back later, Kouga waited for the elevator doors to open again but soon heard Kagura's shrill voice calling his name. Despite trying to convince her that he was not going to see Sesshoumaru, he somehow found himself now standing at the man's door watching Kagura wrapping herself around him like a boa constrictor and its prey.

"Sorry, Sesh," he muttered, loud enough for the man to hear.

"Have you just woken up?" Kagura asked sweetly, eyeing Sesshoumaru's dishevelled appearance. He nodded. "You slept in your clothes."

"Most people sleep in clothes," Sesshoumaru commented drily.

Kagura ignored the comment and stepped away from him. "I'll just go get you a fresh shirt," she said happily.

Since the layout of Sesshoumaru's apartment was much the same as her own, Kagura knew exactly where to go and was off down the corridor to the bedroom before Sesshoumaru could stop her. He growled in frustration and rubbed his forehead as he muttered a few curses unaware of Kouga's stare.

"What's the matter, Sesh?" he asked.

"Rin's in there."

Kouga's eyes widened and he grinned. "I see. This could be interesting."

Before Sesshoumaru could reply, a scream came from down the corridor and both men headed towards the sound to find out what had happened. When they arrived, they found Kagura standing just inside the doorway gaping at the bed. Rin was sitting up in the bed, the covers pulled up to cover herself despite the fact that she was wearing a shirt. In fact, Sesshoumaru was really quite glad she had the presence of mind to cover herself because from what he could remember, the shirt was really quite low cut.

"Hey Rin," Kouga grinned and waved at her.

"H-Hi," she said with a confused look as she weakly lifted a hand to return the wave.

"What is she doing in your bed?!" Kagura screeched at Sesshoumaru.

Rin stared at the scene unfolding before her. They had just woken up and now there was a rather amused Kouga standing in the doorway and Kagura screaming at Sesshoumaru. She sighed and closed her eyes briefly. The morning had started so well and it had suddenly taken a turn for the worst.

Noticing Rin's sigh, Kouga suddenly realised what Kagura could have made him interrupt. He had not thought that things would have gone that far between the pair when she had only come out of hospital. He was quite glad that his friend had let this woman into his life and now he had made the mistake of allowing himself be dragged along by Kagura and possibly interrupt something that could change his friend's life. It was time to do something about the troublesome woman. Heaving a sigh, Kouga pushed himself off the doorframe and wrapped an arm around Kagura's shoulders, pulling her away from Sesshoumaru.

"Now, now," he said in a calm voice. "There are reasons for everything."

"What's the reason for this then?!" Kagura growled, shrugging off Kouga's arm.

"Well, I would have thought that it was fairly obvious why Rin is here."

Sesshoumaru was grateful for his friend's actions, but now he began to wonder where this conversation was going. He looked over at Rin who looked equally baffled. Sighing, he picked up one of his shirts and slipped it over her shoulders, covering her from view. She gave him a weak smile showing her thanks, but her gaze was soon drawn back to the scene at the door. Kagura's temper only worsened as she watched Sesshoumaru's gesture.

"What's the meaning of this?!" she demanded, eyes flashing in fury.

"You see, what happens when people like each other is that they become a couple," Kouga started with a barely concealed smile. "Then they eventually move in together."

"What?!" she yelled, for once not caring about the condescending way in which Kouga spoke to her.

"Now, I think we should go because we have clearly interrupted something rather private."

Kagura's jaw dropped as she stared at the two by the bed. "It can't be true," she said, refusing to believe it.

"Can it not?" Sesshoumaru asked, catching on to Kouga's idea and sitting beside Rin, slipping an arm around her waist.

"Why would you choose her?" the woman wailed. "Why choose her when you could have me?"

Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru and waited to see what he would say. She knew that he had no time for the red eyed woman, but now she wondered if he would tell her so.

"You seem to think yourself quite a catch," he commented blandly, pulling Rin closer. "Unfortunately, I do no agree."

"What?!" Kagura's temper exploded again at the insult.

"It is my opinion that Rin is far more of a catch than you."

Rin stared at him in surprise and her eyes followed his figure as he rose to his feet. He took a step towards the pair standing in the door way and narrowed his eyes slightly as they fell on the woman.

"I believe our conversation is over. I would ask that you not pester my friends for an excuse to see me as I do not wish to see you. Now, if you two don't mind, we were rather busy before you arrived."

Kouga grinned happily at his friend. It was rare for Sesshoumaru to be so brutally honest to a woman, but in this case, it was long overdue. Kagura stood gaping in the doorway as Sesshoumaru crossed his arms and fixed her with a cold look. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders again, Kouga guided her out the door, waving at the pair still watching silently.

Rin sighed softly in relief when they heard the door click shut behind the pair. She pulled the shirt closer around her and looked up at Sesshoumaru who was still glaring down the corridor, eyes fixed on the door, almost as though he expected Kagura to burst back in again.

"Was that not a little harsh?" Rin asked quietly, feeling slightly sorry for Kagura to have been rejected in such an honest fashion.

"Perhaps, but I do not make excuses about why I don't want to be with someone."

With a shudder, Rin hoped that she would never be on the receiving end of those words. She looked at Sesshoumaru from beneath her lashes and thought about how she felt about him. It was true they had not know each other very long, but she had come to rely on him and she hoped that on some level he cared about her as much as she cared for him. Returning to her home had been very hard and it was harder still knowing that she probably wouldn't have any reason to see him again.

"I meant what I said, Rin," Sesshoumaru's quiet expressionless voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Meant what?" she asked, completely confused.

"That you are more of a catch than Kagura."

Rin blushed and looked down, carefully avoiding his gaze. The very thought of him saying such things to her had her heart pounding. She looked up; determination flashing in her eyes as she decided that it was time to tell him how she felt.

"There can be no comparison between to two of you," he continued quietly, his gaze landing on her. "You are in a league of your own and I can only feel blessed by the fact that you deem me worthy of your attentions."

"Sesshoumaru…" Rin gaped at him, feeling joy well up inside her.

Sesshoumaru watched in surprise as tears started to run down her cheeks. In an instant, he was by her side and taking her in his arms. Completely baffled at her behaviour, he waited until the tears had subsided. When she had quietened, she looked up at him and just as he was about to ask about the cause of her tears, his eyes widened when he felt her lips against his. She sat back after a moment and smiled at his look of surprise.

"You are very worthy," she whispered and then frowned slightly. "But am I?"

As the realisation of what she said dawned on him, Sesshoumaru could not stop the smile that spread across his face, but he didn't even try to stop it. He captured her lips with his and ravished them as he pushed her gently down onto the bed. When they parted for breath, she smiled at him and he caressed her face gently.

"I could not think of anyone more worthy than you," he said quietly and took her lips again.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: ** Sorry I haven't updated this in a while. I'm not terribly sure where it's going at the moment; I suppose I should've thought it out before I started writing but never mind :) Anyhoo, thank you for all the reviews so far and for being so patient! I'm very grateful. ^^

**Chapter 13**

As the days turned to weeks, life was blissful for Rin as her injuries healed and her life started returning to normal. Sesshoumaru had once again been given the task of looking after her, but after their confessions when Kagura had last paid them a visit, it wasn't something he particularly minded and was in fact quite glad that she was back in the apartment. Instead of waking up alone in the enormous bed, Rin was glad that she now woke up beside the amazingly good looking detective who had saved her on more than one occasion. It brought a smile to her face every time she thought of it. Their daily life seemed to have fallen into a routine, neither of them knew when this had happened, but neither minded at all.

Kagome and Inuyasha would visit occasionally and Taiki was stunned to find that Rin was living with his uncle. He didn't understand the real reasons behind the living situations, but made the most of the opportunity to have all the people he loved in one place. His playful antics always brought smiles and laughter and even his stoic uncle had cracked the tiniest of smiles at one point which stunned his nephew. Smiling was something that his uncle never did and Taiki had only seen this rare occurrence once or twice before, but he was overjoyed that he had been the cause of the smile.

Kouga dropped by sometimes as well and Rin found herself warming to the man. He always made her smile with his witty comments and easy going nature and she was always amazed by the close friendship he shared with Sesshoumaru. Despite his unwillingness to hold prolonged conversations and his sometimes arrogant nature, Rin knew that Sesshoumaru considered Kouga his closest friend and every once in a while, if you looked closely, you could catch a glimpse of a playful nature that lay hidden far below his icy exterior.

Rin was beginning to make discoveries about the man she now lived with that stunned her. She had just assumed that Sesshoumaru had always been quiet and unwilling to express emotion, but as she watched him when he was with Kouga, she knew that she was wrong. Somewhere along the line, something had happened and he had decided to shut down the side of him that she desperately wanted to see. She supposed that he had always been serious, but perhaps not as serious as he was now. Rin knew that she couldn't ask him about it as she hadn't exactly been open about her own past and couldn't expect him to be, but she wondered if he would ever show her the person he used to be. As time passed, Rin pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and focused her thoughts on the time she spent with the man, knowing that it would take time for him to open up to her and wishing for it wasn't going to make it happen any faster.

Once she had regained her strength and her injuries had healed, Sesshoumaru began to feel a little better about the situation. The petite woman had truly terrified him when he thought she had been the murderer's next victim and he had become so protective of her since she had come out of hospital that he was amazed that she hadn't told him to back off. Much to his surprise, Rin had merely smiled as though she understood his reasons and he was grateful for that. He was not one to show affection, but he couldn't help himself when they were in the privacy of his bedroom. Before they went to sleep every night, he would wrap his arms around her tightly as though he thought she wouldn't be there when he woke up, but he was always pleased when she was still curled up against him when he awoke the next morning. Life had changed since he met her, there was no doubting that, and while he was normally resistant to any changes in his lifestyle, this change felt natural and it was as though Rin had always shared his apartment and his bed.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"The Chief wants you back at work on Monday, Sesh," Kouga said with a stretch.

Sesshoumaru looked up from the newspaper he had been looking through to look at his friend. It was rare for Kouga to drop by in the evening as those were the few times he could spend with his wife, but he shrugged it off as them having had another argument. Truly he wondered why they had married when they argued worse than Kagome and Inuyasha. As usual though, Rin had welcomed him with open arms and smiled tolerantly as he flirted shamelessly with her. That act alone irked Sesshoumaru somewhat, but he knew that Kouga meant no harm and Rin knew it as well.

"What about Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked, putting the newspaper away and turning his attention to his friend.

"The case has been handed over to another department," Kouga replied with a slight frown. "Chief says that we've got more pressing matters to attend to."

"And what would they be?"

"There was a murder down at some fancy golf course yesterday. I don't know the details, the bastard they partnered me with in place of you took over everything and for some reason won't let me have any of the paperwork."

"You don't get on then, I take it?"

"Hell no. The little rat thinks he's the bee's knees because he got an award from the Chief last year. He reckons I'm not good enough to be his partner, kicked up a major fuss when the Chief told him he'd work with me."

There was no chance to reply as Rin came into the room with a tray bearing two cups of steaming coffee and a small plate of sandwiches. Sesshoumaru had to shake his head at the way Kouga's eyes lit up with an almost childish delight when he saw the food.

"That should keep you going until dinner," Rin said with a smile. Her smiled dropped and she frowned at Kouga. "You are staying for dinner, aren't you?"

"How can I refuse?" Kouga grinned at her and then sighed. "The food I've been getting lately hasn't been of the highest quality. I guess Ayame's hormones are playing havoc with her again."

"Is that your explanation now?" Sesshoumaru murmured quietly as he picked up the newspaper again. "I thought unbalanced was the usual phrase."

"Sesshoumaru!" Rin exclaimed, looking utterly appalled by his words.

Kouga laughed. "Yeah that was the old explanation. There's a new excuse now."

"What's that then?"

"Ah, you don't know!" Kouga looked at his friend in amusement. "Ayame's pregnant."

Sesshoumaru looked on in amazement as he watched Rin smile happily and congratulate the tall man who smiled sheepishly. The pair talked animatedly for a moment before he shook his head and smiled to himself.

"I suppose congratulations are in order then," he said quietly. "Wonders never cease."

Rin gave him a vague smile before she shook her head at him, slapping him lightly on the arm as she went back into the kitchen. Kouga grinned from ear to ear until Rin was out of sight and it dropped from his face as though it had been wiped off. He sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Is this not supposed to be good news?" Sesshoumaru inquired, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

"It wasn't planned."

"I see."

"She's been so temperamental lately, it's frustrating."

"Am I to assume that she won't sleep with you now?" Sesshoumaru asked, a vague smile pulling his lips.

"She won't do that either," Kouga replied bitterly, looking into his coffee with a mournful expression.

The trio ate dinner in peaceful silence that was broken every now and then by Kouga's usual flirtatious remarks or a comment on how good the food was. Rin was surprised that Kouga wasn't in a hurry to get home after the meal as he offered to help her clean up. She had declined politely and disappeared into the kitchen as the two men went back into the living room. After a while, she made her way into the living room with three fresh mugs of coffee and sat down beside Sesshoumaru, smiling happily as a strong masculine arm slipped around her waist.

"Ah, I'm envious," Kouga sighed as he watched Rin snuggle into his friend's side. "I wish my relationship was that calm."

"It probably could be if the pair of you would stop arguing," Sesshoumaru replied with a shrug.

"That's easier said than done, Sesh."

"You'll have to put up with it though," Rin said sagely as she took a sip of her coffee. "Despite the arguing and all the moaning you must do about it, you clearly love her."

"How'd you figure that out?" Kouga asked curiously. "You've never met Ayame, have you?"

"I don't need to have met her to know that you love her dearly. Even if the pregnancy wasn't planned, you're still with her because you love her."

"Rin's right," Sesshoumaru said suddenly. "Inuyasha and Kagome fight all the time but their marriage is strong. It'll just take some work."

"I think that's the most constructive advice you've ever given me, Sesh," Kouga teased.

"Like I said earlier, wonders never cease."

The two men talked for a couple of hours more and it was only when Rin's head drooped onto Sesshoumaru's shoulder that both of them realised that she had fallen asleep at some point during the evening. It didn't surprise Sesshoumaru that much as he realised it was 11pm and Rin was usually in bed by this time. Kouga smirked as he looked at the sleeping woman and got to his feet.

"I should be going. It's later than I thought. See you Monday, Sesh!"

After receiving a nod of acknowledgement and a half hearted wave, Kouga left the apartment. Sesshoumaru sighed to himself, glad of the silence. He enjoyed the evening, but he wasn't very good at playing the agony aunt that Kouga seemed to want. In fact, he had no interest at all in playing such a role and Rin clearly didn't want to be involved either as she had stayed out of the conversation for most of the evening. He looked down at the woman who sat beside him and felt a smile tug his lips as she sighed and shifted, curling her slender fingers around his arm. She looked so peaceful that he almost didn't want to wake her, but winter was fast approaching and sleeping on the sofa in the cold when a warm bed was only a short walk away was really quite stupid.

Rin frowned slightly as she regained consciousness when she felt herself being moved. She glanced around her and realised that she was being carried and sighed. Sesshoumaru gently placed her on the bed and smirked as she closed her eyes, curled up and searched for the covers with a hand as a shiver raced down her spine. Still smirking, he sat down on the bed beside her and captured the wandering hand, bringing it up to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss on the inside of her wrist. A brown eye cracked open and she smiled at him, but didn't move an inch.

"You're not going to change?" Sesshoumaru asked, still holding her delicate hand.

"I'm tired."

"Obviously."

There was no reply as Rin merely smiled and closed her eye again, leaving Sesshoumaru to shake his head at her. He sighed softly he turned on the bed so he was facing the small figure that was Rin.

"Too tired to even undress yourself…" he trailed off deliberately and shook his head as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

When there was neither a movement nor a reply, Sesshoumaru smirked as he watched the woman who feigned sleep. There was no choice now. He had given her the opportunity to do this herself, but she had passed on it and now it was left up to him, not that he minded of course. Two large hands reached for the dainty feet that lay just in front of him and he tugged off the black socks, throwing them carelessly on the floor beside the bed and running his fingers over her smooth skin. Rin giggled softly and the hands drifted up from her ankles, briefly disappearing beneath her trousers as they reached her knees before reappearing and turned her over onto her back. Sesshoumaru picked up one of her hands and leaned down to trail tiny moist kisses up her arm until he met the short sleeves just above her elbow before moving across to do the same to the other arm.

"What are you planning?" Rin asked sleepily and smiled at him as she watched him.

"You'll have to wait and see."

Rin didn't have to wait long to find out as Sesshoumaru leaned forward and pressed a kiss against the small patch of bare skin made visible by her low cut shirt. Long fingers came up and slowly started undoing the buttons on her shirt, kisses trailing down her body with each button that was undone. When the shirt hung open, Sesshoumaru's eyes feasted on the sight of her voluptuous breasts covered in black lace and he wondered if her underwear matched her bra. Pushing the thought aside, he slipped his hands beneath her shoulders and pulled her up, watching as the shirt slid off her shoulders before setting her down again. Now that her upper body was bare save for her bra, he started to direct his attention to the waistband of her dark jeans that rested on her hips. He trailed long fingers up her sides, smirking as she shuddered slightly before leaving a trail of moist kisses down to the waistband of her jeans.

Sesshoumaru moved closer to her and ran a large hand up her leg, coming to a stop at her hip. Fingers dipped beneath the waistband and he watched as Rin stared up at him, her expression calm but her eyes showing how much she was enjoying the little game. After a moment, the same fingers unclasped her belt and then the button of her jeans in a quick motion. Moments later the jeans were slowly being pulled down her hips until Sesshoumaru threw them on the floor with her shirt and socks and was delighted to find that her underwear did indeed match her bra. Deciding to turn his attention back to her bra, he pulled her upright and closer as he placed kisses along the lace until he came to the valley between her breasts and he stopped, choosing instead to place kisses on her neck and shoulders as he deftly undid the clasp of her bra. Rin sighed softly, leaning her head against his shoulder as he placed kisses across her shoulder and slid the bra off, casting it aside like the rest of her clothes.

As Sesshoumaru continued to ravish her neck and shoulders, his hands drifted down her body until they met the fabric of her underwear and his fingers slid beneath it. Rin inhaled sharply and allowed herself to be pulled to her knees as hands guided her underwear down her thighs. She was about to comment on how unfair it was that she was naked and he was still dressed when the hands guiding her underwear down suddenly stopped and she found herself falling backwards onto the soft mattress. Her eyes opened to find Sesshoumaru hovering above her and she watched a smirk cross his face as he lifted his hand to make a show of throwing her underwear onto the growing pile of clothes. His hands returned to her soft skin moments later as he pressed her legs apart and leaned down capture her lips in a kiss she had thought would never come. Rin responded eagerly and was disappointed when he pulled away and looked as though he was about to stand up.

"Why you are you still dressed?" she pouted as she looked up at him.

"Because I've been preoccupied undressing you."

Capturing her lips a second time, Sesshoumaru paused before pulling away from her and standing up. Rin watched quietly as he stripped off his clothes and slid beneath the covers and covered them both, reaching over to switch off the light. She sighed happily as he reached for her and felt her eyes begin to droop as his strong yet sensitive hands rubbed circles on her back while Sesshoumaru watched her trying to fight sleep with a smirk.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Rin asked sleepily. "I'm going to be cold now."

"If you had undressed yourself you wouldn't be naked," Sesshoumaru replied with a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Hmm… I suppose sleeping in the nude isn't so bad," she reasoned with a yawn.

Sesshoumaru didn't reply as Rin had already fallen asleep and he shook his head at her antics. She could be so childlike sometimes that he wondered how such a strong woman could have two such different sides to her personality. Deciding that there was no point trying to understand, he pulled Rin closer and looked down at her, content to just watch her sleep until sleep claimed him.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Rin sighed as she looked through the archway in the living room to where Sesshoumaru sat at the kitchen table with various papers spread out in front of him. He was going to start work again tomorrow which meant that she would be alone for the first time since coming out of hospital. The incident had been two weeks ago, but she still felt slightly apprehensive about being alone. Sesshoumaru had been sent the details of the new case he would be working on which was what he was reading so intently. She wished that she could go back to work, but she knew that if she suggested it, there would only be a flat refusal. Sighing again, she turned back to her book.

His last day without work was passing far quicker than he had hoped and Sesshoumaru grimaced as he looked through the details of the new case. It was truly gruesome. However, the uncomfortable feeling that had bothered him all day was not due to the gory details of the man who unfortunately met his end on the golf course, but due to the fact that he knew he would have to leave Rin alone tomorrow. It would stand to reason that she was still unhappy about being alone and he wasn't awfully keen on the idea either, but he had no say in the matter. He knew that he had to return to work sometime and it was just a shame that the time had come sooner than either of them were prepared for.

With great reluctance that was very uncharacteristic, Sesshoumaru hauled himself from his bed the next morning and made his way towards the bathroom. In a childish and perhaps slightly naïve moment the night before, he had hoped that when he woke up he would find that he was not going back to work and that he had simply imagined what Kouga had told him, but sadly that wasn't the case. He was quite surprised to find Rin in the kitchen preparing breakfast when he emerged from the shower, her robe wrapped around her and her hair tousled in a similar way to the way it had been when he had first visited her at her home after the first murder. This time though he knew that the only caused of her dishevelled appearance was the fitful sleep she had had the night before. She smiled at him as he walked in the door and sat down at the table where she had placed a steaming mug of coffee.

"Breakfast will be done in a moment," she said as she turned her attention back to the cooker.

"Thank you. You didn't have to get up to make breakfast," Sesshoumaru replied, slightly stunned that she seemed as though she had been awake for hours already when he felt so tired that he wanted nothing more than to drop down where he stood.

"I know," Rin said with a smile. "But if I don't, you probably won't have a decent breakfast."

"You know me too well," he commented wryly.

The pair ate in silence and Rin withheld a sigh when he announced that he had to leave. Fixing a smile to her face, she got up and walked to the door with him, standing quietly beside him as he pulled on his jacket. Sesshoumaru turned to her after a moment and gave her a vague smile before pulling her into a tight embrace. Pulling back, he cupped her face in his large hands and saw the apprehension in her eyes. Leaning down, he took her lips with his own before pulling her back against him.

"You'll be fine," he said quietly, smoothing her hair away from her face when he stepped back. "Call me if you need anything."

Rin nodded and waved, smiling as cheerfully as she could as he disappeared down the corridor towards the elevator. Sighing to herself, she took one last glance towards the elevator before turning and going back inside, intent on having a shower in hopes that it would help alleviate her anxiety. Unfortunately for her, Rin did not see the dark figure that stood beside a door past the elevator and she didn't see the way the person's eyes glinted maliciously when they landed on Rin.

It was halfway through the morning when Rin heard a knock at the door. She had been cleaning the cooker in the kitchen and she tilted her head slightly as there was another knock on the door. She bit her lip as she wondered whether or not to answer it; after all, Sesshoumaru hadn't mentioned that they were expecting any visitors. He might have told Kagome about her being alone though and it might be her friend standing on the other side of the door. She frowned at her inability to make up her mind and took a deep breath when there was another knock. Slowly, she made her way across the room towards the door looking as though she was afraid it would bite her if she came too close. Her hand reached for the door knob and grasped it in a shaky hand before she took a deep breath and pulled it open. Rin's jaw dropped as she faced the person on the other side. She blinked several times as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"W-What are you doing here?" she asked in bewilderment, slightly unnerved by the identity of the visitor.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Rin stumbled backwards in surprise as the unexpected visitor pushed past her and into the apartment without replying to her question or waiting for an invitation to come in. Blinking in bewilderment, Rin closed the door and turned around, not sure what to say. Kagura stood in the middle of the living room, towering over Rin in stupidly high heels.

"How dare you!" Kagura hissed, glaring venomously at the smaller woman.

"Uh…" Rin could only stare stupidly at the other woman, completely at a loss.

"How dare you just randomly appear and take him from me! Do you know how close I was to getting him right where I wanted him?"

"Where you wanted?"

"If I had had more time he would have been putty in my hands!" Kagura crossed her arms and aimed a disgusted look at Rin. "But you just had to come and ruin it, didn't you?"

"I didn't know…" Rin said quietly, backing away from the intimidating woman.

"How he could fall for a woman as pathetic as you I'll never know. He just doesn't realise how beautiful I am." Kagura said with a smug smile as she flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "He'll realise his mistake soon enough."

The uncomfortable situation was beginning to fray Rin's already frazzled nerves. She wasn't used to being alone and being confronted by this woman right now was really the last thing she could deal with. Panic raced through her as she tried to think of a way out of her predicament. She couldn't run out the door because she would be alone, faced by more people and possibly at risk from the person who had attacked her last time, if indeed he was still after her. It wasn't worth the risk, but she couldn't pick up the phone and call anyone she knew either because Kagura stood in front of it with a gloating expression as if she knew exactly what kind of distress she was causing Rin.

"H-how will he?" Rin queried, her eyes darting around the room as she searched for an escape.

"Once you're out of the picture, there'll be nothing standing in the way and he'll realise how big a mistake he made."

"O-Out of the picture?"

"I've done my research and I know about you," Kagura said with a sinister smile. "I know about what happened in your neighbourhood and you."

"H-How do you know?"

"I have my sources." There was silence as the women looked at each other for a little while. "I'd advise you to keep away from Sesshoumaru. If you don't, you might find yourself in a very familiar situation with a very familiar man. I also suggest you keep this conversation to yourself and keep in mind that you can't hide from me when you're in this building."

Without another word, Kagura swept out of the room and closed the door behind her with a snap, leaving Rin staring at the space she had just vacated. After a moment, Rin brought herself back to reality and questioned whether what she had just heard had been a figment of her imagination or reality. She made her way over to the sofa on unsteady legs and sank down onto it, releasing a shaky breath as she buried her face in her hands. Rin knew that Kagura had not been joking when she had made her threat and now she wondered what to do about it. Kagura had made it plain that she couldn't tell Sesshoumaru and now she was at a loss. The only support she had leaned on since coming out of hospital was someone she couldn't lean on this time. She had to deal with this alone.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

When Sesshoumaru returned that evening, he found the apartment dark and silent. A frown creased his brow as he made his way through the living room and down the corridor towards the light he could see shining from beneath the bedroom door. He paused in front of the door before pushing it open slowly, his eyes adjusting to the sudden bright light. Amber eyes looked around the room and found Rin's tiny figure sitting in the middle of the enormous bed, her knees pulled up under her chin and her arms around her legs. Her eyes were fixed on the book that lay open on the bed in front of her, but it was obvious even from this distance that she was only staring at the book and not actually reading anything in it. Clearing his throat, Sesshoumaru approached the bed, watching as she jumped at the sound.

He had spent the whole day wanting nothing more than to leave his office and go straight home where he knew she would be waiting for him. The idea of coming home to her welcoming embrace was so appealing that he had been very close to simply leaving several times throughout the day, but had restrained himself with difficulty. Now, Sesshoumaru was in the same room as her, even sitting on the same bed as her and yet she had yet to give him the welcome he had been expecting. Something must've happened, but he couldn't think what it was. Just as he was reaching across the gap between them towards her, intent on pulling her into the embrace he had been thinking about for the majority of the day, Rin sprang up from the bed and stood beside the bed, smoothing out her clothes before turning around to face him.

"I wasn't sure what time you'd be back," she babbled, still smoothing down her clothes and looking away from his narrowed gaze. "I'll start on dinner."

Sesshoumaru's eyes followed her figure as it disappeared out the door and down the hall. He let out a long breath as he tried to understand what was causing Rin to be so anxious. Hoping to find out anything that could give him an explanation about her behaviour, he got to his feet and followed her into the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe as he watched her bustle about the kitchen. Eventually, she turned around and jumped when she saw him standing behind her.

"Dinner's ready," she said quietly and gestured to the steaming plates of food on the counter.

"Thank you."

Rin took a deep breath as she sat down at the table and began the meal, she knew that it would be difficult to avoid Sesshoumaru, but although she felt terrible about doing so, it had to be done. When the meal ended, she took her time collecting the plates and chose to wash them by hand instead of putting them in the dishwasher, trying to find any excuse to not spend much time in his company without a distraction. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her unusual actions, but took the hint to leave as he decided to wait for her in the living room. She came into the living room a short while later, trying her hair back from her face as she walked and she chose to sit in an armchair instead of beside Sesshoumaru where she normally sat.

"I've been thinking," she said casually as though she hadn't been avoiding him.

"Is that so?"

"Mmm. I think it's time I started looking for that new house I spoke about in the hospital."

"Why's that?" Sesshoumaru asked, eyes narrowing slightly at her.

"You've been so kind to me, but I really shouldn't impose upon you any longer than necessary."

"Rin, you're not…"

"I'm sure you'll be glad to get your home to yourself again," she carried on, interrupting him as though she hadn't heard him speak.

"Rin…"

"In any case, I'd have to look for it sooner or later and it'd be good to get that done."

Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru could see that she wasn't going to allow him any say in the matter and resisted the urge to growl in frustration. The situation was spiralling out of control far too fast and he was powerless to stop it as he didn't know the cause of whatever had upset Rin. Not knowing what else to do, he simply sat on the sofa and listened as she spoke in an oddly high pitched voice about things that would normally make no difference to either of them. As time passed, he knew that she was beginning to get tired. He could see weariness in her eyes and knew that all would soon be right with the world when he could hold her as she slept. Unfortunately, the fates were not smiling upon him and when he eventually struggled to stay awake, Rin only smiled at him.

"Go to bed," she said quietly with a gentle smile. "I'm not tired yet; I'll make some coffee and read for a while. I'll come to bed soon."

For the first night in a couple of weeks, Sesshoumaru Taisho slept alone in his bed when he knew that he would get nowhere by arguing with Rin after she had said she would come to bed. Although she had said the words, he had found her asleep on the sofa the next morning and began to grow impatient and irritated. He didn't understand what was going on and there was nothing he hated more than not understanding a situation, especially when that situation involved someone he cared for. Rin had woken up to find him looking down at her and blushed slightly, giving excuses as to why she was on the sofa and not in the bed as normal, but Sesshoumaru merely shrugged as she prepared for work. She wondered briefly if he believed any of her excuses but knew that he didn't. He wasn't stupid.

Sighing softly, she got to her feet when she saw that he was making his way towards the door and walked with him. Sesshoumaru was surprised when she came down the hall to the elevator with him, wondering what the purpose of that was. He looked around as he waited for the elevator and his gaze fell on Kagura who stood outside her door dressed as though she had just woken up. A man stood in front of her and they appeared to be deep in conversation despite the fact that he met her red gaze for a moment before she looked back to the dishevelled man in front of her. The pair turned and made their way towards the elevator where Sesshoumaru and Rin stood, but Kagura made no attempt at flirtation or conversation. Beside him, Sesshoumaru felt Rin stiffen slightly when she saw the pair, but he could hardly blame her for being uncomfortable around a woman who clearly didn't like her.

The elevator doors opened, pulling Sesshoumaru from his thoughts and he nodded at Rin who gave him a weak smile in return. His mind was flood with disappointment when she didn't react in any other way, but he made his way forward to stand beside the man who had emerged from Kagura's apartment. Rin lifted her hand in a half hearted wave as the doors closed and in the brief moment, Sesshoumaru saw Kagura start moving towards Rin and his eyes narrowed. Could Kagura be the cause of Rin's sudden anxiety and behaviour change?

"I'm glad to see that you heeded my warning about not telling Sesshoumaru," Kagura said with a smug smile as she towered over Rin in the corridor beside the elevator. "You know who that man was, don't you?"

"How could I forget?" Rin asked bitterly and turned around to start walking back to the apartment. She remembered him. He was the man who had almost raped and killed her. It was impossible to forget him.

"Don't forget your agreement," Kagura said in a quiet voice as she reached out to grip Rin's arm.

"I won't."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The days passed and Rin became even more distant than before much to Sesshoumaru's displeasure. Every night he came home to a dark apartment and Rin placed herself just out of his reach, physically and emotionally. Eventually, she found an apartment and had everything moved from her previous home to the new one, not caring that she was not there to supervise the move. She still couldn't face the house she had lived in before and decided that she would leave Kagome to run the move in her stead since her friend had offered. Now the day had finally arrived when she would move into her new home and Sesshoumaru stood in the door way of the bedroom he had shared with her, watching her pack her clothes away into her bag with a growing sense of loss building within him.

Rin was grateful that Sesshoumaru didn't question her decisions, but she couldn't look him in the eye. She felt so bad for deceiving him. She wanted to tell him everything that had happened, but she was so afraid of the consequences that she couldn't bring herself to do so; at least not in that building when she knew that Kagura could be lurking around any corner. During the silent drive to her new home, Rin found herself considering a thought that had never occurred to her before. What was to stop her telling Sesshoumaru about Kagura's plans when she wasn't in his apartment building? Surely the woman wouldn't have her tailed by someone ready to commit murder at the first chance he got? Even if she did, Rin had Sesshoumaru to protect her this time and was sure that no one would be stupid enough to try and attack her with him present.

"We've arrived," Sesshoumaru announced, pulling Rin back to reality.

"Thank you."

Rin looked up at the building and frowned. It looked a lot like Sesshoumaru's apartment building. Shrugging it off, she stepped out of the car and took a deep breath as she made her decision. Sesshoumaru had moved picked up her bag and was making his way towards the entrance, pausing briefly to allow her to catch up. The apartment was on the 4th floor and although they rode the elevator in silence, Rin's mind was turning as she tried to think of a way to explain the situation to Sesshoumaru without causing a scene.

"This is your apartment?" Sesshoumaru asked as they approached a door at the end of a hallway.

"Yes," she murmured, unlocking the door and stepping inside.

"Here's your bag. I should leave you to settle in," he said emotionlessly as he deposited the bag on the floor just inside the door and turned to leave.

"Actually," Rin said in a voice that was more confident than she felt. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Please stay a while longer."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru stepped inside, closing the door behind him and followed Rin into the living room where he was surprised to see her furniture already arranged. Rin smiled at his surprise and gestured towards a picture of Inuyasha and Kagome on their wedding day as she passed it and he immediately understood that Kagome had arranged the apartment. Taking a seat on the sofa, Sesshoumaru waited patiently until Rin returned from the kitchen with two mugs of coffee.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked, not bothering to beat about the bush.

"It's quite important," Rin said quietly as she placed the mugs on the table ands at down beside him for the first time in nearly a week, smiling as his eyes widened at the action.

"Is that so?"

"I know that you've noticed I've been acting strangely over the past week or so."

"You've noticed your behaviour?" Sesshoumaru asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The change was deliberate."

"Why?"

"Because your neighbour paid me a visit the first day you week back to work."

"My neighbour?"

"Kagura."

"I thought so," he growled and frowned ferociously.

Rin shrugged and looked at him seriously. "Anyway, I'm going to need your protection again if I tell you this so I have to know that you'll not leave me alone after I tell you."

"You know I won't leave you alone, Rin."

"I do, but I needed reassurance," she said with a smile. "Kagura is trying to get me out of the picture so she can get to you."

"Get to me? What does that mean?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"What do you mean by getting you out the picture?" Sesshoumaru asked, falling into what Kouga liked to call "work mode."

"The man who came out of her apartment the day I walked to the elevator with you was the same man who attacked me."

Amber eyes widened as he stared at the petite woman beside him. She looked calm, but a glance into her eyes told a completely different story and it was all he could do not to take her in his arms there and then. He needed to hear the situation first before he gave in to his temptations.

"How does she know him?" Sesshoumaru asked, frowning as he thought about it.

"She just said she had her sources when I asked how she found out." Rin paused and looked at Sesshoumaru as she felt tears fill her eyes. "I'm sorry; I couldn't tell you until now. I was afraid she would do something."

Sighing in relief, Sesshoumaru reached out to her and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her shaking frame. He had been worried that she was reconsidering their relationship and now that he knew that that wasn't the case at all, he could relax and help her to the best of his abilities. As Rin wept into his shoulder, Sesshoumaru gently threaded his fingers through her soft hair and rubbed her back as he waited for her to calm down.

"She won't do anything to you," he murmured before nuzzling her neck gently. "I won't let her."

In response, Rin cried harder and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. The action surprised Sesshoumaru but he didn't complain and instead leaned back against the sofa, pulling Rin onto his lap as he tried to comfort the weeping woman. After what seemed like an eternity, Rin stopped crying and pulled away from his with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cry," she said quietly, a blush staining her cheeks red.

"It's fine. I'd be surprised if you didn't cry," Sesshoumaru replied, cupping her face and kissing her lips gently. "I've missed your kisses," he whispered against her lips.

Rin giggled and leaned into his kiss, sighing in contentment as he ravished her lips and pulled her flush against him. She had missed having his arms around her. Being in his embrace made her feel as though there was nothing the world could do to her as long as his arms were around her. A large hand slid up her leg and rested at her hip, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"As long as we're here," Sesshoumaru murmured as he started trailing kisses down her neck. "Let's make use of your apartment."

A gasp of surprise left Rin's lips as she felt herself lifted up and she grinned as Sesshoumaru made his way through the apartment and to her bedroom. She smiled at him as he lowered her onto her bed and stretched out beside her, wrapping an arm around her.

"How did you know where the bedroom was?" she asked, leaning back to look into his eyes. "You've never been here before."

"The layout is similar to my own apartment."

The pair sat in silence for a while, content just holding each other. Eventually Rin couldn't refrain from yawning and snuggling into his side, her hand clutching his shirt as though it was a lifeline. Sesshoumaru smiled to himself as he looked down at her and ran his hand down her back gently as he pulled her closer. The weariness that had marked her face for the past week seemed to be disappearing and her smile had returned. He was pleased that she was returning to her normal self, but frowned as he thought about what had caused the behaviour change.

"Go to sleep, Rin," he said quietly and rolled onto his back, pulling her with him.

"You'll stay with me?" she asked sleepily.

"Of course I will."

"Nothing with happen to me?"

"Nothing will happen to you, I promise."

Rin didn't reply but merely smiled as she tightened her grip on his shirt despite his reassurance that he wasn't going anywhere. It couldn't hurt to be extra careful, could it? She felt so much better now that she had told Sesshoumaru about the situation and wondered why she hadn't thought of this plan earlier. Pushing the thoughts away, she knew she would be safe as long as he was here and her smile returned for a moment before sleep claimed her.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN****:** Sorry for the long delay in the update but like I said before, I wasn't entirely sure where to take the story. However, I think I have come up with a solution and I am going to attempt to finish this story before Christmas since it's been going for so long that it needs an ending :) My only problem is that I'm not very good at writing endings to stories so forgive me it doesn't turn out so good!

If I could, I'd thank everyone who reviewed individually, but I'm sure you'd rather like to read the newest chapter instead of my ramblings :P However, I'd like to thank my frequent reviewers for their comments and everyone else for reviewing the story even if it was just once :) I know I'm pretty terrible at replying to reviews and things, but I do read each an every one and take on board everything whether it's good or bad :) It always makes me smile when I get a review so I hope I don't disappoint anyone!

Merry Christmas everyone! :D

xMxAx

**Chapter 15**

The days after Rin's confession to Sesshoumaru about Kagura's doings slowly turned to weeks and they saw neither hide nor hair of Kagura or the mysterious man who had assaulted Rin in her home. The time the pair spent together was divided between Sesshoumaru's apartment and Rin's since she had insisted that she go back to work despite her lover's vehement disapproval of her idea. Rin came to the conclusion that she could not and would not lead a sheltered life just because of one lunatic with homicidal tendencies who had his eye on her for some obscure reason. The man had had the chance to attack her once again when she saw him with Kagura and it struck her as strange for him to pass up the opportunity to finish what he had started, but she was not going to complain that he had not taken advantage of that particular situation. Sesshoumaru had predictably been unimpressed with her decision to go back to work and had voiced his disapproval by berating her about not taking the threat on her life seriously, but had eventually given up when he realised that his protests fell on deaf ears.

Inuyasha and Kagome made a habit of visiting Rin whenever possible and Taiki soon became so accustomed to seeing both Rin and Sesshoumaru together that when he saw only one of them, which was rare, he would always frown and frequently became confused about their living arrangements. Both Inuyasha and Kouga saw an enormous change in Sesshoumaru since Rin appeared in his life. The petite woman brought a sparkle back to the stoic man's eyes that had long since disappeared and it was almost as though a part of him that had died was slowly reviving itself.

However, as both Rin and Sesshoumaru had learnt before, all good things must come to an end at some point. The peace and quiet that befell their lives after Rin admitting what Kagura had said to her was soon to be shattered. It had been a while since Kouga and Sesshoumaru had had anything interesting to do since the case of looking for the man who had assaulted Rin and killed the other women had been handed over to another department. There had been no murders and even the few assault scenes the pair were called to were mild and of little significance in comparison to some of the things they had seen. The dull days soon came to an end when they received word of a murder.

Jumping at the opportunity to do something interesting, Sesshoumaru had led the way out of the office and towards the car with Kouga trailing reluctantly behind him. Amber eyes widened in surprise when the building they came to a stop in front of a short while later was Sesshoumaru's own apartment building. Sesshoumaru ignored the shiver of anticipation that ran down his spine as he stepped into the elevator with his partner and tried even harder to push aside the worry building within him as the elevator came to a stop on the same floor as his own apartment. Closing his eyes briefly, he prayed that he would not be seeing Rin's body when he rounded the corner since he had left her at his apartment that morning. Kouga grimaced and seemed to know what his friend was thinking. Placing a hand on the silver haired man's shoulder, he gave him a slight push towards his apartment and smiled weakly at him.

Taking the hint, Sesshoumaru nodded his thanks to his friend and made his way through the crowded corridor to his apartment. Pausing in front of the door he wondered what he would find, but eventually found the courage to push the door open. The living room was dimly lit but he could see a faint lit coming from under the bedroom door at the end of the corridor and made his way towards it. The room was empty and he frowned slightly as he wondered where Rin could be since her clothes and a few of her other belongings were still where she had left them the night before. Suddenly the room went silent and Sesshoumaru couldn't place what sound had disappeared until he saw the bathroom door closed. He never kept that door closed and sighed in relief when he realised where Rin was. The door opened moments later and Rin stepped out with a towel wrapped around her wet body. Humming softly to herself, she continued to dry her hair as she walked through the room and only came to a stop when she felt another's presence in the room. Stiffening, she slowly turned around and frowned when she saw Sesshoumaru sitting on the bed, watching her with a look of mild amusement on his face.

"Did you not leave for work only an hour ago?" Rin asked in confusion and made her way towards him, forgetting about her wet hair as she searched for answers.

"I did."

"Then why are you here? This isn't where you work."

"There's been a murder in the building so I came to make sure it wasn't you," Sesshoumaru said with a shrug.

Rin shook her head slightly and smiled up at her lover as he rose to his feet. She noticed his tie was crooked but decided against telling him and instead adjusted it herself as she wondered how someone as meticulous as him could fail to notice that little detail. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her and sighed softly as he wrapped his arms around her petite frame and brought her against him, not caring that she was still wet from the shower. They stood in content silence for a few moments before a sound from the living room caused the both to look round only to find Kouga striding up the corridor with a pale face and a slightly disturbed expression.

"Sorry to interrupt," Kouga said hurriedly, blushing when he realised that Rin was clad in only a towel.

"Not to worry. I wonder why it is that I nearly always seem to have very little clothing on when you come by," Rin wondered aloud as she thought about the time Kagura had made an appearance in the bedroom just after she had been released from hospital and she had been wearing nothing but skimpy pyjamas when Kouga had appeared.

The two men stared at her in surprise. Thinking back, Sesshoumaru had to agree that Kouga seemed to appear in inopportune moments when Rin was either in pyjamas or emerging from the shower like today. As far as he could remember, there was only one occasion that Kouga had not interrupted and therefore Rin had been suitably dressed. At the moment though, Sesshoumaru was very glad that Rin had thought to use one of the larger towels in the bathroom as he would not have been impressed with the current situation if she had used a smaller one.

"Uh… putting that aside," Kouga said quickly, unsure what he was supposed to say to that. "Sesh, I think there's something you need to see."

"If it's the victim, I'm in no hurry to see it," Sesshoumaru said with a frown.

"It's not so much that you need to see what happened, but rather who the victim is."

Sesshoumaru looked down at Rin who merely shrugged and sat down on the bed, drying the ends of her long hair with the smaller towel that she had all but forgotten in her surprise at seeing Sesshoumaru back in the apartment. Kouga sent a pleading look to his friend that said that this was important but also that he didn't want to go back to the victim's apartment.

"Now look," Rin said suddenly as she stood up again, crossing her arms. "I have no problems if you want to talk business, but please, I need to get dressed."

"Sorry, Rin," Kouga said sheepishly, averting his gaze from the petite woman.

Rin smiled and shook her head. "Not to worry. Come back when you're finished work and I'll make dinner."

With that promise hanging in the air, both men were soon ushered out of the bedroom and into the living room where they stood in silence for a moment before Kouga chuckled at the little woman's antics. The moment soon passed though and he fixed Sesshoumaru with a serious look that looked very out of place on the usually cheerful man's face.

"What was it that I should know?" Sesshoumaru asked with a slightly frown and a feeling of uneasiness.

"The victim is Kagura," Kouga said with a grimace.

"Kagura?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"Come see for yourself."

Kouga led the way out into the corridor and down towards Kagura's apartment just a few doors down from Sesshoumaru's. The officers near the door stepped aside to let the pair into the apartment and immediately Sesshoumaru realised that Kouga spoke the truth. Miroku stood in the middle of the living room with a grim expression on his face that clearly said he did not like what he saw while Kouga's face had turned pale again and he looked ready to bolt out the room at any moment. Sighing softly, Sesshoumaru made his way across the room to where Miroku stood beside an overturned sofa.

"You're not going to like this one," Miroku said softly and glanced at Kouga with slight concern. "Give it a miss this time, Kouga."

"You're on your own, Sesh," Kouga said as he clapped his friend on the back and nodded to Miroku before quickly escaping the murder scene.

"What happened?" Sesshoumaru asked, pulling out his usual notebook and looking expectantly at Miroku.

"Pretty gruesome this one."

The pair headed across the living room to the kitchen where several people were checking for fingerprints. Miroku paused and gestured to the bloody counter his colleagues were gathered around. The men stepped aside to let the detective see a large knife lying on the surface with a small pool of blood around it.

"We don't know where this knife came from since the body has no stab woulds," Miroku said and wrinkled his nose slightly at the sight of the item. "We believe that the murderer might have been looking for something as there are bloody handprints on some of the cabinets in here, the bathroom and the bedroom."

"Any idea what?"

"Could've been anything," Miroku said with a shrug. "It could have been a weapon of some sort or it could have been something completely different. I believe there were also some handprints on the desk in the study so it could quite possibly have been documents of some kind, but it's impossible to know at the moment."

"Hm."

Leaving the men in the kitchen to continue their search for fingerprints, Miroku led the way back into the living room and through to the bedroom. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow as he watched Miroku lift a mask to his face and wondered why that was needed, but as soon as the bedroom door opened, he understood perfectly. A wave of something very foul smelling hit Sesshoumaru and caused him to stop in his tracks. Resisting the urge to gag at the stench, he instead chose to lift a handkerchief to cover his face as he followed Miroku into the room.

In the middle of the room sat a large bed and on said bed lay the corpse of the woman who had been the bane of his life for so long. Kagura's legs were twisted at odd angles as was one of her arms; the other was extended towards the table beside the bed as though reached for something. Her head hung over the edge of the bed and Sesshoumaru flinched inwardly as he looked down to find the woman's unseeing red eyes staring back at him, her mouth was open as though she had died mid-scream and a pool of blood on the carpet beneath her head. Sighing softly, Sesshoumaru pocketed his notebook knowing that he could not write and hold the handkerchief to his face at the same time. Turning around he found Miroku examining Kagura's wrists.

"What happened?" Sesshoumaru asked expressionlessly.

"Both her legs are broken," Miroku said with a frown, his voice slightly muffled by the mask. "I suspect that one of her arms is as well, but I haven't looked into that yet. There's bruising on her wrists which indicates that she was bound by something, somewhere. There are marks on the neck which indicate strangulation and the finishing blow, a bullet to the head."

"Time of death?"

"About four days ago, I'd say."

"Why are we only learning about this now?"

"The neighbours say that they haven't seen her for a few days, but that she tends to disappear for short periods of time so they weren't worried," an officer nearby said suddenly, drawing the attention of both men. "Apparently a neighbour complained about the smell to the landlord and when he got no reply from knocking on the door, he used his keys to get in and found her like this."

"Thank you," Sesshoumaru said shortly, nodding at the man.

Sesshoumaru left Miroku in the room and left the apartment quickly, finding Kouga leaning against the wall near the elevator talking to one of the neighbours and scribbling in his notebook. The group disbanded when Sesshoumaru came towards them and Kouga raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"Was it as bad as Miroku said?" Kouga asked, watching his friend throw the handkerchief that had been in his hand into the nearest bin.  
"I need a shower."

"Why?"

"That smell is probably going to cling to my clothes," Sesshoumaru said with an expression of disgust. "I don't want to spend the rest of the day smelling like a four day old corpse."

"Four days old?!" Kouga exclaimed in shock.

Rin looked up from the book she was reading when she heard the door open and saw Sesshoumaru walked through the door and head straight to the bathroom in the bedroom. Kouga appeared moments later and Rin raised an eyebrow, silently asking what was going on.

"He's going for a shower," Kouga said as though that explained everything.

"He had one this morning," Rin said with a frown and gestured for Kouga to sit down while she poured him some coffee. "What does he need another one for?"

"Because if he doesn't, he reckons he'll smell like a four day old corpse."

The colour drained from Rin's face at that comment and she stared at the dark haired man. She had never asked about the kind of things that Sesshoumaru saw or had to deal with at work since she was fairly sure that it wouldn't be something that she desperately wanted to hear. A four day old corpse though? That was something she hadn't really expected him to be dealing with, but then he was the Detective Chief Inspector so she supposed that dealing with corpses was part of the job description.

"Well I won't now," Sesshoumaru said quietly as he reappeared a few minutes later, his hair slightly damp and adjusting his tie as he walked.

"Your job is disgusting," Rin murmured, wrinkling her nose as she turned her attention back to her book.

"I'm sure there are worse jobs than ours," Kouga said with a grin.

"This job is clearly not for you though," Sesshoumaru said with a raised eyebrow. "You did make a poor career choice."

"Yeah, yeah. I know I did. What do we do now? Go back to the office?"

"We'll have to at some point, but there's no sense in rushing back."

"You'd rather work here?" Rin asked, looking with a vague smile as Sesshoumaru sat beside her. "I suppose it is close to the crime scene."

"Who do you suppose killed Kagura?" Kouga asked with a thoughtful expression.

"Probably the same lunatic who's been running around killing everyone else," Rin replied as she got to her feet to make some more coffee.

"Probably," Sesshoumaru agreed, watching Rin disappear into the kitchen. "Shall we go through the information we've collected?"

* * *

The two men had worked throughout the day and had eventually decided against going back to the office. Rin had prepared a meal for the pair but was on the receiving end of Sesshoumaru's glare when she announced that she was going to work. Kouga had been surprised to learn that she was working again, but wisely chose not to comment on what appeared to be a sore subject for his friend. Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru had gotten to his feet and followed Rin to the door just outside the living room, listening patiently as she gave him instructions for reheating the meal she had left for them.

"Will you not reconsider going back to work?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking at her seriously as she pulled on her coat.

"No," Rin replied honestly and then smiled at the anxious look on his face. "I can't keep living in fear. It's not way to live."

Finding no way to respond to her words, Sesshoumaru settled for wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly against him. Rin sighed and leaned into his embrace, knowing that there would be no way to ease his anxiety about her working unless she quit her job or the man who had assaulted her was caught.

"I'll be fine," she said with a smile as she leaned back to look up at her lover.

"I hope so."

With a final smile, Rin leaned towards him and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips before leaving. With a frown, Sesshoumaru returned to the living room where his friend sat quietly looking through his notes. Kouga looked up when he noticed his partner return to the room.

"When did she start work again?" Kouga asked, unable to keep from asking.

"Last week."

"She'll be fine."

"I hope so."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The man who was behind Kagura's murder was never found and it was generally assumed that it was the same man who had killed the other three women and attempted to kill Rin. Like the other murder cases, Sesshoumaru and Kouga soon had to relinquish it to the same department that had taken over investigating the other murders and the pair were left with the mundane task of dealing with petty crimes and disputes. Rin continued to work despite Sesshoumaru's protests, but she had agreed to cut down her hours and Sesshoumaru was satisfied with that compromise.

It was a nearly a month after the discovery of Kagura's body that Sesshoumaru decided that he should start showing Rin just how much she meant to him. He wasn't entirely sure what had caused him to make such a decision since he was pretty sure she already knew how much he cared about her, but he supposed that it wouldn't hurt to let her know anyway. He had spent a week planning one special evening for her and had stuck true to his meticulous nature by making sure every detail was perfect. Rin, of course, had no idea what he was planning. She was sure that he was up to something, but could not even begin to guess what was going to happen or when.

Finally, the day dawned and Rin woke up to find her apartment empty but a box sitting on the table in the living room with her name on it. Eager to know what sat inside the box, Rin opened it and gasped at the sight of a dark blue dress folded neatly in the box. Pulling out it, she realised that it was her size and that beneath the table was another box with shoes to match the dress. Rin was stunned that Sesshoumaru could put together such an outfit when he showed so little interest in anything remotely to do with fashion, but she guessed that he probably had help from Kagome. A note sat on the table asking her to be ready that evening as Sesshoumaru would be collecting her.

Luckily, for Rin the day seemed to pass very quickly and she was soon standing on her doorstep in the incredible dress that Sesshoumaru had given her, facing the man himself as he towered over her. A brief smile had crossed his face when she had appeared and Rin could not help but grin in response.

"You look ravishing," he whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her.

"You look pretty good too," Rin replied with a smile as she pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Where are we going?"

"That is a surprise."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"Long enough for me to not want to tell you and ruin the surprise."

Giggling to herself, Rin let Sesshoumaru lead her out of the building and to his car. She sat quietly in the passenger seat and watched the dark buildings fly past, all the while resisting the urge to badger Sesshoumaru until he told her where they were going. Sesshoumaru seemed to know that she was refraining from asking about their destination and smirked to himself as he caught sight of her biting her lip every now and then as though trying to stop herself from saying something.

When the pair finally reached their destination, Rin gaped at the sight of the restaurant in front of her. She had heard of this one and it was one of the places favoured by the wealthy and known for its multi-cultural cuisine. Part of her wished that they were visiting the place during the day as the scenery surrounding the place was supposed to be almost as exquisite as the restaurant itself. It was located on the outskirts of the city, somewhere in the hills that surrounded the eastern part of the city.

"You know where you are?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, wrapping an arm around her waist as he guided her towards the door.

"I do," Rin replied and stopped briefly to give him a chaste kiss. "How did you know that I've always wanted to come here?"

"Lucky guess?"

While Rin giggled beside him, Sesshoumaru shook his head and stepped into the building. A waiter nearby immediately recognised him and motioned for Sesshoumaru to follow him to the table that had been set aside for him. Rin sat opposite him and smiled brilliantly at him once the waiter had left them.

"What's the special occasion?" Rin asked as Sesshoumaru took her hand in his.

"Do I need a special occasion to spoil you?"

"Not really, it's just unexpected."

"There's a lake nearby that's supposed to have beautiful scenery, do you want to see it after the meal?" Sesshoumaru asked, inwardly overjoyed at how elated Rin seemed at the idea.

"Definitely!"

* * *

The meal passed quickly and Rin sighed happily as she finished her dessert. Smirking at how content she seemed, Sesshoumaru gestured to a waiter nearby who almost immediately came running with the bill. In a matter of moments, the meal was paid for and Rin moaned slightly when she saw Sesshoumaru rise to his feet and hold out his hand for hers.

"I wasn't ready to move just yet," she protested with a smile as she was led back to the car.

"You can sit still on the journey to the lake then," Sesshoumaru replied, smirking down at her before closing the passenger door.

"How long will it take to get there?"

"No more than a quarter of an hour I'm told, but since it's late at night, I doubt it will take that long."

The pair fell into content silence as they made their way to the lake that was hidden somewhere in the hills. Rin looked out the window and could not help but smile as she watched the moonlit scenery go past. She had never been into the hills before although she had been told by several of her friends that the landscape was exceptionally beautiful and as she stared out the window, she could see that everything she had been told was perfectly true. There were a few clouds in the sky and every so often, the moon would be hidden casting the land into darkness until it reappeared a short while later. The countryside seemed to be so tranquil, but in the few moments of darkness when the moon was hidden, Rin could not help but feel that it was also quite eerie. As far as the eye could see, there were no buildings except the restaurant that sat at the foot of the hills and there was no sign of any life at all save the flora and occasional scuffling of a rodent in the undergrowth. Overall, despite it's beauty, Rin got the distinct impression that being this far away from civilisation could probably be quite lonely.

"We've arrived," Sesshoumaru announced, breaking into her train of thought.

Glancing around, Rin noticed that they had turned down a side road and were currently stopped in what appeared to be a car park of some sort, but it was completely empty except for them. Stepping out of the car, Rin took a deep breath and relished the clean fresh air that smelt slightly of pine trees. Sesshoumaru came up to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist as the pair made their way across the gravel to the path that they assumed led to the lake.

"This place is beautiful," Rin murmured, looking around her in awe.

"Indeed."

"I bet it's a pretty lonely place to be though."

"I doubt the flora and fauna mind," Sesshoumaru said quietly. "I'm sure that they would have migrated to the city by now if they couldn't handle the solitude."

"Trees can't migrate," Rin said with a giggle.

"Perhaps not, but their seeds can."

"That is true. Do you suppose the lake is far away?"

"I doubt it's too far."

Silence fell again and the pair walked in silence until eventually the lake came into view and Rin caught her breath as she stared out across the expanse of water reflecting the silver moonlight. She found it hard to believe that she had never even heard of this place. Sesshoumaru tightened the arm around her waist and she sighed, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Tonight was lovely," Rin said quietly as she watched a frog hop through the shallow waters on the edge of the lake.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"You planned all this?"

"Most of it, I didn't plan for the lake to be here. I overheard someone talking about it in the restaurant when we walked in."

"It's so beautiful."

"As are you," a voice from behind them said quietly.

Rin froze in place and Sesshoumaru frowned before turning around to see where the voice had come from. The pair stared into darkness for a little while before a figure emerged from the darkness. Instantly, Rin recognised him as being the very same man who had attacked her and the same man who had been with Kagura. Sesshoumaru glared at the dark haired man and pulled Rin closer, realising that this man was more than a passerby.

"It's a beautiful night," the man said and then frowned at the pair. "You could've invited me along, you know. Or was it supposed to be a romantic night for two?"

"Who are you?" Sesshoumaru demanded, his gaze never leaving the unknown man.

"Ah, it seems that I have forgotten my manners, please forgive me." The man bowed extravagantly and then looked up with a smirk. "I'm Yoshiro Kamata and you two are Rin Yoshida and Sesshoumaru Taisho."

"How do you know our names?" Sesshoumaru demanded again, beginning to get slightly irritated with the man.

"It is easy enough to recognise you," Yoshiro said with a smirk before looking at Rin. "But Rin and I have met before, do you remember?"

"How could I forget?" Rin murmured, looking pale.

"It's good to see I made a lasting impression. You didn't really think you could get away, did you? Not after all that's happened."

"A-All that's happened?" Rin repeated, looking confused as she looked up at Sesshoumaru. "I don't know what you're talking about. I've never met you before."

There were a few moments of silence as the trio stared at each other. Sesshoumaru's only thoughts were on how to get Rin to safety, but from the looks of it, trying to do that would be difficult since the newcomer blocked the way back to the car park. Yoshiro smirked at the taller man as though he knew exactly what he was thinking and then started laughing as he watched the pair in front of him before sobering and looking directly at Rin with a contemptuous glare.

"Aside from the last time, we have never met," Yoshiro said calmly.

"Then why are you doing this?" Sesshoumaru queried.

The dark haired man did not acknowledge the other man's words and kept his gaze focused solely on Rin. "You wouldn't know me. I was just another one in her high school fan club. I was just another one who was called upon when her latest boyfriend dumped her. However, I am different. I am the one who finally saw her for what she is and I am the one who sought a solution to the bad ways she treated us."

"Fan club?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking down at Rin in surprise only for her to return an equally baffled look.

"I never had a fan club in high school," Rin said quietly.

"Of course you wouldn't have had one!" Yoshiro exclaimed with a raised eyebrow. "You were always the plain one. There was never anything special about you, why would you have a fan club?"

"Then who are you talking about?" Sesshoumaru asked, now completely lost as to what the man was talking about.

Yoshiro did not reply and simply watched Rin as she frowned while Sesshoumaru looked between the two of them, not entirely sure what was going on. How could this man know Rin if she didn't know him? It made no sense to him. His attention was drawn back to Rin after a moment when he heard a sharp intake of breath. Her eyes were wide and she was clutching his arm tightly, as though her life depended on it as she stared at the man across from them.

"Emi…" she murmured, eyes wide with realisation.

"Ah, she may not have the looks, but she has the intelligence the other lacked," Yoshiro said with a smirk.

"Who is Emi, Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking down at the woman at his side in concern.

The trio stood in silence for a moment and Rin sighed softly before looking up at Sesshoumaru with an apologetic look in her eyes. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Yoshiro interrupted, grinning manically.

"She has not told you," he stated as he realised what Rin was about to tell Sesshoumaru. "Well then Detective Chief Inspector, allow me to satisfy your curiosity."

Sesshoumaru glanced down at Rin who looked uneasy but turned his gaze back to the dark haired man who had now taken a seat on a large rock near the side of the path leading back to the car park. Even though he was no longer standing in the middle of the path, Sesshoumaru knew that they still stood little chance of getting past him without injury.

"Emi was Rin's older sister and she, along with the rest of the family, was tragically killed in a car accident," Yoshiro said with a vague smile.

"I know that," Sesshoumaru snapped irritably, causing the other two to stare at him in surprise.

"Y-You knew?" Rin asked.

"Kagome told me."

Rin smiled at that. "I wondered how long she could keep that to herself."

"Back to my story!" Yoshiro said loudly, leaning back against the rock and fixing his audience with a cold gaze. "Emi was six years older than Rin, the eldest of three children. She was incredibly beautiful, so beautiful that it was hard to believe that her family was so plain. Unfortunately, she may have been beautiful on the outside, but she was far from beautiful on the inside. How does the saying go? 'All that glitters is not gold' – isn't it? You know this to be true, don't you Rin?"

"It… is true," Rin agreed hesitantly, frowning slightly as the words left her lips.

"So many of the boys at school were entranced by her beauty that she was never short of admirers, but of course she would never agree to go out with any of us," Yoshiro said bitterly. "She wanted the popular boys regardless of their reputations and behaviour, but they inevitably grew tired of her and cast her aside and who did she fall back on? I'm sure you can guess. The fools who didn't see her for what she was were led along by her flirtatious behaviour and promises that would never come to anything until she would cast them aside when she took a liking to another of the popular boys."

"So where do you fit in with all of this?" Sesshoumaru asked, his mind going over what he had just been told.

"I was one of the first to see her for what she was," Yoshiro said with a proud grin as he slid off his rock and slowly walked towards the pair. "I was the one who decided that she needed to be learn how to treat others."

Pausing his speech to let the words sink in, Yoshiro came to a stop a few metres away from the couple and instinctively, Sesshoumaru pulled Rin closer and frowned slightly when he felt her trembling. The dark haired man grinned at the little display before crossing his arms.

"There was only one small problem with my plan though," Yoshiro admitted, frowning slightly as he remembered. "She died before I could do anything."

"What were you planning to do?" Sesshoumaru demanded.

"Oh who knows?" the other man said with a shrug. "I've forgotten now, it was so long ago. I thought I had lost my chance to teach Emi a lesson, but then I heard about a rumour. I heard a rumour about a little girl surviving an accident so I looked into the matter and I discovered that the survivor was none other than Emi's precious little sister."

"What does Rin have to do with this?"

"I heard about where you went after the accident," Yoshiro continued, ignoring Sesshoumaru's question. "I knew which orphanage you were sent to so I kept an eye on you. I watched you grown from a child into the woman you are now. Did you ever stop to wonder why those bullies never came back a second time?"

Rin's eyes widened. "What did you do?!"

"It wouldn't do if you got hurt, so I did what was necessary to get rid of them."

"What was that?" Rin asked, looking slightly fearful and wondering if she really wanted the answer.

"Ah, that is my secret," Yoshiro winked at her. "When you moved to the city, I wasn't far behind. Then I decided that the time had come. It was time for Emi to learn her lesson, although it would be unfortunate that she would not be learning it firsthand but rather through you instead. Regardless, I put my plan into action and made sure everything was perfect, but then Ami Sasaki got in the way and then two more women after that."

"Why did you kill them?" Sesshoumaru questioned in a dangerously low voice, his arms tightening around Rin.

"They were witnesses so they had to die," Yoshiro said with a nonchalant shrug. "The third woman was a surprise, your neighbour I believe. She put up quite a fight actually, but her death was inevitable since she got in the way of me putting my plan into action and then along came the brave detective. Did you really think that I wouldn't know where Rin was? I've been watching her since she was ten years old; do you really think the appearance one of cocky detective was going to make a vast amount of difference to me?"

"Apparently not," Sesshoumaru remarked drily.

"It made no difference at all," Yoshiro spat and then smirked smugly. "It gave me time to rethink my options, make a new plan, so I thank you for that detective. I came up with a better plan, a plan that I will put into action tonight. This is where everything ends."

"Why must you do anything to Rin?" Sesshoumaru demanded of the other man. "She is not her sister; she had nothing to do with what happened back then."

"It matters little to me if she had anything to do with what her sister did," Yoshiro said calmly. "Rin will die tonight and there is no escaping that."

"Why must Rin die for what her sister did?"

"Because Emi would be heartbroken if her precious little sister died for something that she did."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"You will not harm Rin," Sesshoumaru said firmly, stepping in front of said woman and putting his hands in his pockets as he regarded the other man with a determined expression.

Yoshiro sighed dramatically and uncrossed his arms. "Detective, you are not part of this, but if you do not step aside, I will tie you up and make you watch as I kill your lovely lady."

"You will not harm her," Sesshoumaru repeated pulling his hands from his pockets and putting his hands behind his back.

Rin felt Sesshoumaru move and looked down when she noticed realised that his was placing his hands behind his back. Thinking that he wanted her to take his hand, Rin placed one of her hands in his much larger one and stifled a gasp when she found something already in his palm. While Yoshiro continued to try to get Sesshoumaru to step away from Rin, Sesshoumaru was attempting to create an escape plan. His palm opened to reveal that the object was his phone and Rin took it, now understanding what Sesshoumaru had in mind. She looked over his shoulder and saw Yoshiro now beginning to go red in the face as he started to get angry and started hurling insults at the tall man who stood in front of her. Quickly locating Kouga's number, Rin nudged Sesshoumaru gently and the tall man seemed to understand as he raised his voice and returned all the insults hurled his way.

"Hello? What do you want, Sesh?" Kouga's voice came across the line moments later.

"Kouga, it's Rin," she said hastily, keeping her voice as low as possible so Yoshiro would not know what she was up to. "Come to the lake in the hills. Please be quick, it's urgent."

There was a brief pause and Rin was about to start pleading when she heard Yoshiro shout something particularly loud and vulgar which Sesshoumaru returned, for once dipping into his extensive vocabulary of offensive language that he had picked up over the years from his brother. This seemed to help Kouga to make up his mind and he cleared his throat.

"I'll be there in a quarter of an hour. Be careful."

Sighing in relief, Rin slipped the phone into her bag and nudged Sesshoumaru again. Yoshiro was so involved in coming up with a phrase that held enough curses that it would make even Inuyasha cringe that he didn't notice that Sesshoumaru was not paying any attention at all.

"Kouga's coming," Rin said quietly. "Fifteen minutes."

"Good."

"Enough!" Yoshiro bellowed suddenly, his face looking a lot like a tomato. "You, detective, have nothing to do with what will take place here tonight. One last time, step aside!"

"No."

"Then you leave me no choice."

Yoshiro shook his head as though he was going to regret what he was going to do before he came running across the short distance that separated the two men and delivered a blow to the side of Sesshoumaru's head, knocking the man off balance and sending him staggering side ways with the force of the blow. Rin shrieked in alarm as she watched Yoshiro rise to his full height in front of her and give her a menacing grin.

"Just you wait, Rin," he said in a cheerful voice. "Your turn will come soon enough, just let me deal with this pest first."

Before Rin could even think up a reply, Yoshiro was heading straight for Sesshoumaru again and seemed ready to deliver yet another blow, but this time, Sesshoumaru was ready and dodged easily as he returned the gesture by punching his opponent in the stomach causing him to double over in pain. Rin stood still, unable to move; as she watched the two men fight and prayed that Kouga would be there soon. The first blow from Yoshiro had left its mark and a thin rivulet of blood trickled down the side of Sesshoumaru's face. As she watched, the men seemed to be moving further and further away from her in their attempts to escape the blows they were directing at each other. Yoshiro was limping after being knocked to the ground by a particularly violent punch from Sesshoumaru while the blood trickling down the side of Sesshoumaru's face had yet to stop.

"Stop running away from me!" Yoshiro bellowed as Sesshoumaru dodged a punch.

"You think I'm going to just let you hit me?"

"It'd make this a lot easier," the dark haired man replied with a grin.

"I'm not here to make things easier for you," Sesshoumaru snarled.

"Let's make things a bit more interesting."

A flash of silver in the moonlight was all the warning Sesshoumaru got before Yoshiro launched himself towards his opponent armed with a blade. Realising his intent just in time, Sesshoumaru fell to the ground and rolled away before springing to his feet moments later and tackling the other man to the ground. As they fought for possession of the blade, Rin reluctantly dragged her gaze away from the fighting men when she thought she heard voices coming from the direction of the car park. Apparently, Sesshoumaru had heard them as well and looked up for a moment, catching her eye.

"Run, Rin!" he ordered, as he heard the voices coming closer.

Just as Rin was about to run towards the voices, she was stopped in her tracks by the sound of grunt behind her and the sound of someone falling onto the ground. Turning to look over her shoulder, her eyes widened as she saw a knife embedded in Sesshoumaru's arm as Yoshiro pushed his to the ground before turning his attention to the woman about to flee. Amber eyes widened as Sesshoumaru saw the dark haired man about to make his way towards Rin and tried to get to his feet but received a blow to the head and was kicked over, knocking him out cold as Rin shrieked in shock.

"Stupid detective," Yoshiro spat as he pulled his gaze from Sesshoumaru's prone body to Rin's trembling one and grinned. "I told you that your turn would come soon enough."

The voices from the car park turned to shouts when Rin had shrieked and were rapidly coming closer much to Yoshiro's irritation. Muttering a curse, the man got to his feet and advanced on Rin, smirking every time she stepped away from him as he continued towards her. Eventually, there was nowhere to go and she found herself backed up against a large rock just beside the water's edge. She could feel her stilettos sinking in the mud and frantically tried to tug them free knowing that she would not be able to take the shoes off before Yoshiro reached her.

"You seem to be in a bit of a bind," Yoshiro said with a grin. "I'll give you a hand, shall I?"

Before Rin could protest, the man had grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, freeing her from the mud with such force that she lost her balance and fell into the shallow waters of the lake. Yoshiro stood on the edge of the water laughing loudly as he waited for her to resurface, but his laughter soon died away when she did not rise to the surface as he expected. Frowning, he crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently, conscious of the fact that he had only a matter of minutes before the approaching men entered the clearing.

"Come now," Yoshiro muttered to the placid surface of the water. "It's not fun if you just give up like that. Besides, I can't let you die that easily."

The shouts came closer and just as Yoshiro was about to make a run for freedom, Rin rose to the surface. Coughing up water and flailing her arms around as she tried to keep afloat in the now heavy dress, she glanced to the edge of the water and felt her heart sink as she saw Yoshiro grin and wade into the water. Pulling her out of the water by her hair, Rin once again found herself back up against the same rock as before only now she did not think she would be escaping so easily.

Kouga burst into the clearing moments later and looked around hastily for the woman who had called him earlier. Only the moon lighted the area and as he looked around, his gaze fell on the fallen figure of Sesshoumaru who lay slumped on the opposite side of the clearing. Motioning for the few men from the station that had come with him to accompany him, Kouga made his way quickly towards his fallen friend. Kneeling beside him, the blue-eyed man quickly checked his pulse and sighed in relief when he realised that he was still alive. Instructing someone to call an ambulance, Kouga looked around for signs of Rin. Finding none, he got to his feet and helped the men to search. Moments later, the sound of laughter reached his ears and Kouga spun around to face the lake just in time to see a man back Rin against a large rock before reaching into his pocket for something.

"This has been fun," Yoshiro said with a grin as he advanced on Rin, pulling a knife from his pocket as he did so. "But all good things come to an end."

Rin's eyes widened as she realised that there was nothing she could do to fend him off and even though Kouga had arrived, he was too far away to reach her in time. Her heels were starting to sink in the mud again and as she tried to free her feet once more, she realised that her life would end there, against a rock, in the middle of nowhere. A frown creased her brow. Of all places, she did not want to die in such a place regardless of its beauty. She put more effort into tugging her feet out of the mud, aware that she had only a couple of minutes at most to get out of reach of the man coming towards her with a knife in his hand. In the background, she could see Kouga on his feet and running towards the pair but she knew that she could not wait for him to help her. Yoshiro stopped in front of her and Rin stilled her movements, not sure how he had managed to close the distance between them so quickly. Her eyes were fixed on the blade as it came closer to her and she felt the sharp edge brush against her neck.

"Good. It's about time you stopped that fruitless struggle," Yoshiro commented with a smug look on his face.

Glaring at the man, Rin leaned away from him as he moved forward, his hand running up her side to her shoulder where he pulled the strap off her shoulder. Shuddering at his touch, Rin looked away and resumed pulling her feet much to Yoshiro's amusement. Kouga shouted something that was inaudible to her ears but caught her captor's attention as he glanced over his shoulder, the hand holding the knife fell to the rock Rin was leaning against, effectively trapping her. Her eyes widened as she felt her shoe begin to leave the mud and after giving it one last tug, her knee came up and caught Yoshiro in the stomach, catching him by surprise. He gasped in surprise at being suddenly pushed backwards and Rin winced as she felt the knife in his hand cut through the fabric of her dress and into her flesh as he staggered backwards.

Kouga was almost upon the pair when he saw the man stagger backwards and he faltered slightly, unsure how to proceed but decided it best to carry on. Sensing that her saviour was nearly at her side, Rin attempted to pull herself up onto the rock behind her, but realised that while one foot was free of the mud, the other was still caught fast. Yoshiro had already recovered from his shock and was scrambling towards her, knife forgotten on the rock nearby. Seeing an opportunity, Rin leaned forward and grabbed the knife. Cursing loudly, Yoshiro leaned over with a determined expression on his face and reached forward to grab her by the hair as he had done before. Rin gave one last desperate tug on her trapped foot and both to her joy and dismay; it came free and she found herself falling backwards as she lost her balance. Yoshiro was bearing down on her and had no chance to dodge the foot that rose up as she fell.

A loud shout of pain echoed around the clearing and Kouga came to an abrupt halt near the pair, the men behind him following suit as they all stared at the scene in amazement. Rin looked stunned as she lay on her back on the rock while Yoshiro slowly opened his eyes and scowled at her before lowering his gaze to the knife that was embedded deeply in his right arm. The very sight of the injury made Rin instantly remember Sesshoumaru who had a similar injury. Struggling to get onto her feet and regain her balance, Rin tried to stumble away from the man who was slowly pulling the knife from his arm. Her progress towards Kouga was halted when a bloody hand closed around her wrist. Turning to look over her shoulder, Rin saw Yoshiro looking at her with a murderous gaze and saw blood running in thin rivulets down his arm, dripping off his fingers to the ground.

"You'll pay for that," Yoshiro spat as he flinched at the pain in his arm.

As Rin started trying to tug her hand from his grasp, Kouga and his men started forward once again but found that they were too late when an evil smile crossed Yoshiro's face and he tightened his grip on Rin's hand. Her eyes widened as she found herself suddenly flying forwards back towards the water. Kouga and his men hurried towards Yoshiro and tackled him to the ground. While his men eventually managed to get the murderer under control, Kouga's eyes scanned the surface of the water as he waited for Rin to resurface. For the second time that night, Rin found herself in the ice-cold water of the lake and the material of her dress becoming heavier and heavier as she struggled to the surface of the water, but with each movement she made, a jolt of pain raced through her from the wound Yoshiro had inflicted on her with the knife.

"She'll drown. She'll finally die!" Yoshiro muttered, his eyes lighting up at the thought of Rin drowning.

"No, she won't," Kouga snapped back, pulling off his jacket and shoes and wading into the water.

As he reached knee deep water, Kouga paused as he saw Rin come thrashing to the surface, gasping for breath. Heaving a sigh of relief, Kouga made his way towards her and pulled her towards the edge of the lake. Falling onto the ground beside her, he watched as she rolled onto her side and coughed up water as she tried to get her breath back. Looking around, she saw Yoshiro being pulled away and shouting unintelligible words at her.

"Are you alright?" Kouga asked, frowning at Rin as he looked her over.

"I'm fine, thank you," Rin replied a bit breathlessly.

Kouga got to his feet and leaned down to pull Rin to her feet. The movement caused her to double over as pain ripped through her side and Kouga was at her side in an instant frowning when he saw the large dark stain in the fabric of her dress.

"How did that happen?" he demanded, picking up his jacket and draping it over her shoulders and pulling on his shoes quickly.

"He cut me with the knife… it was my fault," Rin said through gritted teeth as she pressed her hand to her side, hoping to stem the flow of blood from the wound.

"We need to get you to hospital."

"The ambulance is here, sir!" one of the men who had come with Kouga shouted across the clearing.

Rin did not have a chance to protest or to agree with Kouga's statement as he got to his feet and scooped her off her feet, hurriedly making his way towards the waiting ambulance. As they passed a police car, Rin briefly caught sight of Yoshiro sitting in the back of the car and he glared at her as she was whisked past. A paramedic hurried towards them and frowned at the amount of blood on Rin's dress before instructing Kouga to get inside the ambulance with her. As the doors shut behind them, Rin could only sigh in relief as she realised that the ordeal was over but before she could voice her relief to Kouga or ask how Sesshoumaru was, her vision started to blur as she felt a wave of fatigue wash over her and blood loss started to take its toll on her.

* * *

When Rin opened her eyes again, she was no longer sitting beside Kouga in an ambulance but was instead lying in hospital bed. Sighing to herself, she closed her eyes again and couldn't help but wonder why she had been in hospital twice in the space of about as many months. What god had she offended so badly that he deemed this a suitable punishment? The sound of a door opening quietly drew her from her slightly depressing thoughts and she kept her eyes closed a while longer, trying to find out who this person was. A soft sigh came from her right and she guessed that whoever it was had taken a seat beside her bed which meant that it was definitely not a doctor or nurse. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her and she cracked her eyes open just enough to see who the person was.

"Sesshoumaru?" she asked in surprise, eyes opening wide as she stared at the man beside her bed.

"You're awake," Sesshoumaru murmured, relief evident in his voice. "You've been asleep since yesterday."

Nodding slightly, Rin sat up and winced as she jarred the wound on her side. Sesshoumaru frowned as he noticed her wince and was instantly at her side, an arm around her shoulders holding her up as he rearranged her pillows. She leaned back against the pillows with a sigh, her hand going to her side unconsciously.

"What happened? Are you injured?" Sesshoumaru asked, frown still in place as he looked her over, trying to locate the source of her pain.

"I'm fine, just a scratch," Rin said with a vague smile. Looking at his attire, she could only guess that he only just got out of bed himself. "How's your arm?"

"Bandaged," Sesshoumaru replied with a shrug. "I've had worse injuries, it's nothing serious."

"Ah, you're both awake, that's convenient," the doctor who remembered from the last time she was in hospital said as she walked into the room. "You remember me, don't you?"

"Dr. Sato?" Rin replied with a smile.

"That's it. Anyway, I was just going to see how you were and if everything I satisfactory, then you can be released today."

A brief but thorough of both the injuries the pair had sustained followed before Dr. Sato smiled and sat down in a chair between the beds her patients sat on. After scribbling something down onto her clipboard, she put away her pen and crossed her legs, looking from one expectant face to the other with mild amusement.

"You will both be released tomorrow, but please, I don't want to see either of you back here for a long time," she said cheerfully before turning to look at Rin. "Just be careful about your side. It wasn't a pretty sight when you came in yesterday."

"Side?" Sesshoumaru asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Indeed. The wound on her side, a knife wound I believe."

"Is it serious?"

"Not as serious as it looks," Dr. Sato smiled at Rin. "I've got to go to my next patient, please try to stay out of trouble, hm?"

Sesshoumaru and Rin watched as the doctor left the room and sat in silence for a little while before Sesshoumaru got to his feet and walked across to Rin's bed. She looked up in surprise when he came to a stop in front of her but sighed moments later as his arms wrapped around her gently. Snuggling into his warmth, Rin couldn't believe that the events of the night before were real but the evidence of it being very real indeed were obvious in the bandage around Sesshoumaru's arm. Pushing memories of the night before aside, she looked up at Sesshoumaru and smiled when he leaned down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss.

"We should go sign our release forms," Sesshoumaru murmured as he stepped back and pulled on his shirt and shoes.

An hour later Rin was standing beside Sesshoumaru in the elevator as they made their way up to his apartment. Rin sighed and allowed herself to be led towards the apartment where she wanted nothing more than a hot bath. The tall man beside her glanced down at her and noticed her weary expression, but smiled slightly when she sensed his gaze and looked up at him.

"I need a bath," Rin murmured as she stepped through the door.

"A shower sounds like a good idea," Sesshoumaru agreed as he guided her down the corridor to the bedroom.

Rin giggled when she found herself in the bathroom, sitting demurely on the edge of the bath while Sesshoumaru drew a bath for her. When it was done, he turned on the water in the shower and waited for it to heat up, frowning slightly when he saw the wound on her side as she undressed, not embarrassed in the slightest by his presence.

"Does it hurt?" he asked as he stepped into the shower.

"What?" Rin asked, frowning slightly in confusion.

"Your side."

"Oh… no, not really, but that may be because they gave me some painkillers at the hospital."

"Hm."

A few hours later found Sesshoumaru lying on his bed looking thoughtfully down at the sleeping woman beside him. Rin was curled up beside him, her head on his chest and her dainty hand clutching his shirt as though expecting him to vanish. Running his fingers gently through her hair, he couldn't help but think that she was a bit of an enigma. It was amazing for someone like her to go through so much in her life and still come out smiling at the end of it all. The fact that she had been through so much irked him and wished that there was a way to shield her from the pain and suffering that life would bring. A smile crossed his face briefly as he decided that as long as she was with him, he would see to it that she never suffered again and would do everything in his power to keep her smile in place.


	18. Chapter 18

**Epilogue**

Sometime after their release from hospital, Sesshoumaru concluded that his life would be empty without Rin and decided that it was high time that he settled down and had a family of his own. When he had voiced his decision to his brother and sister-in-law, he got mixed reactions. Inuyasha had laughed and teased his brother mercilessly while Kagome merely shook her head at her husband's childish antics and encouraged him with a cheerful smile. Discussing the situation with his brother had proved to be no help whatsoever and Kagome grew far too irritated with her husband's behaviour to fully concentrate on the matter at hand so Sesshoumaru was left with options of talking over the situation with Kouga or merely putting together a plan and putting it into action, but later settled on the former since it sounded like a better idea.

"It's about time you settled down," Kouga said gruffly, nodding his approval when his friend had finally spoken his thoughts. "You can't be a bachelor forever, you know."

"I could if I wished to."

"But you clearly don't, so there's no point discussing it."

"I suppose that's true."

"What will you do then?" Kouga asked, leaning forward on his desk and fixing his friend with a serious look.

"I have no idea how to proceed," Sesshoumaru admitted, looking slightly sheepish about his admission.

"Do you like you current situation?"

"Truthfully, I preferred it when she lived in the apartment."

"That's your starting point then."

"What is?"

"Tell her that you liked it better when she lived with you."

"I see."

Kouga had left his friend to his thoughts, deciding that Sesshoumaru would most likely want to plan every little detail of his plan before carrying it out. Just as his partner predicted, Sesshoumaru spent the rest of the day planning instead of working, but as there were no pressing matters to attend to, he did not see a problem. The confidence he felt in his plan at the office evaporated the moment he came to a stop in front of the door to his apartment. He knew Rin was inside and was most likely preparing dinner, but his courage abandoned him when he needed it the most. Sighing dejectedly, he pushed the door open and found Rin sitting on the sofa with a book open on her lap. She smiled brightly as he came into the apartment and sat down beside her.

"How was work?" she asked, putting aside her book to focus her attention on him.

"It was fine. Yoshiro Kamata has been sentenced to life in prison," Sesshoumaru said quietly, looking at Rin from the corner of his eye.

"Really? That's good news!" she exclaimed, leaning forward to wrap her arms around his neck. When he did not respond, she frowned and sat back on her heels. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"I don't believe you. There is definitely something wrong," Rin stated, eyes narrowing as she looked at her lover suspiciously.

"Sesshoumaru sighed and smiled slightly. " I guess there's no fooling you."

"That's right; now tell me what's wrong!"

"The truth is that there is something I wanted to ask you, but I don't know how you will respond," he admitted, looking away and wondering how he was supposed to convey his feelings to the petite woman beside him.

"Oh!" Rin smiled and kissed his cheek gently. "If that's the case then you should ask. You won't know how I respond until you ask."

"Very well, I will ask."

Sesshoumaru turned in his seat and looked at Rin seriously. She tilted her head to one side and looked at him expectantly, not entirely sure what kind of question he was going to ask her. He sighed softly and took her hands in his before looking her in the eye and taking a deep breath.

"I have not attempted this before, but I feel that there is something I must tell you," Sesshoumaru murmured.

"Oh?"

"This is all very cliché, but you must know that when you are with me, I feel that my life is complete. When you are with me, I feel like the happiest man alive. Without you, I don't know where I would be. I don't want to consider life without you…"

"What are you trying to say?" Rin asked softly, her eyes wide as she stared at the man before her.

"I'm trying to say that I want you to stay here. I don't want to spend any nights alone; I don't want to wake up to an empty bed when that space could be filled by you."

"You want me to stay here?" she repeated, trying to come to terms with what he was saying. "Are you sure?"

"I'm very sure."

* * *

And so it was that Rin Yoshida who had suddenly appeared in Sesshoumaru Taisho's life became a permanent fixture. There was never a spare moment when they were not together. Soon after admitting Sesshoumaru admitting his feelings for her, Rin had agreed to share the apartment with him and had agreed to fill the empty space in his bed. She had been delighted by him finally admitting his true feelings and could scarcely contain her happiness, much to his amusement.

Rin eventually met Ayame and the two became fast friends with Rin even becoming godmother to Ayame and Kouga's daughter when she was born. This had sparked a conversation between Sesshoumaru and Rin about whether or not to have children before they were married. They concluded that neither of them were in a great hurry to fill the apartment with children and decided that marriage would be top of their list of priorities.

The pair had been a couple for nearly three years when Kagome's badgering, Inuyasha teasing and Kouga's complaining had finally pushed Sesshoumaru into proposing to Rin. It had been a beautiful event, one that Rin would remember for the rest of her life. A quiet beach, late at night had been the scene Sesshoumaru had come up with as the perfect setting for his life changing question and with the soft sound of waves in the background, he had proposed under the moonlight to the woman he loved so deeply. The moment she had said 'yes' he had thought that his life could not get any better, but when they were finally married and he could finally call her his wife, he wondered if there was any possible way that life could get better still.

Needless to say, life did get better. A lot better. It started with the acquisition of a new house which Rin described as perfect for raising children which had sparked hope within him. Rin proved to be quite good at decorating the house, but had left one room untouched. When Sesshoumaru questioned her about the empty, unpainted room, she had merely smiled and said that the time would come when that room would be used and there was no sense decorating it now only to have to possibly redecorate it in the future.

Eventually, the pair did decorate that room together after Rin informed her husband that he would soon become a father. Initially oppose to the idea of finding out if his child would be male or female, Sesshoumaru soon changed his mind when the room they had set aside for the child still stood undecorated even though it slowly started to fill with furniture. It had been amusing for Rin to watch him struggle with the desire of wanting to be surprised on the day of the child's birth and wanting to decorate the room for his child.

Rin found even more amusement in the fact that on the day of the child's birth, Sesshoumaru had been in more of a panic than she was. He had paced the room impatiently through the long hours of her labour, but rushed to her side every time she gave any indication of discomfort. When the child was finally born, Rin had seen a side to her husband that she had not known existed until the moment the nurses left the new parents with their child. A single tear had trickled down his cheek as he held the tiny girl in his arms and Rin felt tears forming in her own eyes as she listened to him promise to cherish his daughter forever.

The happy family expanded several years later. Three became four when a son and brother joined the family. Rin could not help but he proud of her husband and daughter as they both cooed over the new addition to the family, promising to do everything within their power to ensure his happiness.

As the years passed, the once undecorated room changed twice to suit its occupant's tastes but it would change once more when both of the other children were slightly older. After much protesting, their son had finally accepted that he would be sharing a bedroom with his sister, but Sesshoumaru still remained in the dark about the reasons for Rin's decision. Late one night, in the privacy of their bedroom, Rin had told Sesshoumaru of the third addition to the family and he had been overjoyed. The next morning when their two children had bounded into their bedroom with their usual exuberance, Sesshoumaru had informed them of their new sibling. Like their father, the pair were elated by the news and their parents listened quietly as their children agued over whether it would be better to have a brother or a sister.

Rin had sighed as she watched her children take their argument out of their bedroom and continued it on the way down to the kitchen in search of something for breakfast. Her husband shook his head slightly but smiled as he turned his amber gaze to the woman beside him. She returned his smile and it had grown when his hand found its way to her stomach as it had done so many times in the past. With a sigh of contentment, she drifted back to sleep in her husband's arms. Her last thoughts were of how incredibly lucky she was to have found a man like Sesshoumaru and how blessed she was to already have two wonderful children. A smile crossed her face briefly and she sent a prayer to any God listening, thanking them for blessing her with such a family before sleep claimed her and took her to realms where she could dream of the very family she prayed for each and every night.


End file.
